


Something Permanent

by DarkAliceLilith



Series: We Remain [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: M/M, Self-Harm, alternative universe, mentions of drug dealing, overdose by minor character, substance abuse by minor characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-09
Updated: 2014-12-09
Packaged: 2018-02-28 19:27:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2744324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkAliceLilith/pseuds/DarkAliceLilith
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After leaving their biker gang, Ethan and Aiden find their way to Beacon Hills to start over. At a tattoo shop, Ethan meets Danny and finds himself falling hard for the tattoo artist, but Ethan has a secret about his past and he's terrified of it getting out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! So I wrote this for the Teen Wolf BB on Livejournal. The artwork is by the wonderful Nateintheattic. I'm a little nervous about posting this so I hope everyone likes it! Enjoy!
> 
> Please make sure to show some love for the artist! ----> [AO3](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2741456) | [TUMBLR](http://nateintheattic.tumblr.com/post/104768269503/artwork-for-darkalicelilith-punk4life1315s)

 

Ethan and Aiden walked through the Hale Fire Tattoo shop, the bell ringing as they walked through. A young redhead greeted them at the desk up front. “Hello boys,” She said. “Haven’t seen you two before.”

“We’re new here,” Aiden said, leaning on the desk and smiling at her. 

Ethan rolled his eyes and pushed him aside. “We heard this is the best place for tattoos.”

“And you heard right,” She said, smiling up at Ethan and ignoring Aiden. “I’m Lydia, who are you two and who are you seeing?”

“I’m Aiden, here to see Cora.”

“And I’m Ethan, I’m here for Danny.”

Lydia flicked her eyes down Ethan and smirked before looking down at the appointment book. She marked something off before standing up. “Let me go get them for you.” She stood up and Ethan elbowed his twin as Aiden stared at her. 

“What?” 

“Knock it off.”

“She’s hot though.”

“Doesn’t mean you need to flirt,” Ethan said, leaning against the desk. “Do you see me doing it? No.”

“Oh whatever.”

“I don’t!”

Lydia came back with two people behind her, though Ethan’s eyes were immediately drawn to the man and barely noticed the other women. Danny was tall, his arms were covered in tattoos and the tank he wore was tight enough that Ethan could see he was built. One eyebrow had two piercings in it and he had his lip pierced as well. He was gorgeous and Ethan had a hard time looking away.

Danny walked forward with a smile on his face and held his hand out. “I’m Danny.”

Ethan took his hand and shook it. “Ethan.”

“Well Ethan, how about we head over to my station and get started?” He led Ethan over and sat down, pulling out some transfer paper. He motioned towards the other chair. “Do you have an idea of what you want?”

Ethan nodded and pulled out a sheet of paper from his pocket and unfolded it, laying it on the table. “My brother and I wanted to get similar tattoos.”

Danny slid the paper closer and looked at the wolf on it. “A wolf?”

“It’s our favorite animal,” Ethan replied.

Danny smiled. “I like wolves too.” Danny picked his pen up. “You said similar, so you don’t want them to be the same?”

“Yeah, as long as a wolf is involved, we don’t really care what it is.”

“and where are we putting it today?”

“On my arm.”

Danny nodded and started to sketch. “So you want any color in this at all? Or just black and white.”

“What do you think will look better?”

“A little color,” Danny replied, not looking up from his sketch. “Just enough it highlight.”

“Then we’ll go with that.”

“So is this your first tattoo?” 

Ethan shook his head. “I’ve got two others. Aiden has more than me.”

“Matching?”

“No. This is our first matching one.”

“My pack,” Danny started, looking up at Ethan before continuing. “I mean, my friends, we all got the same tattoo. The triskele that’s on the sign, we all got that. That’s the only matching one I have.”

Ethan’s eyes ran over Danny’s arms, taking in the different tattoos and noticing the triskele was on his inner right arm, near his elbow. “You have a lot.”

“Happens when you work at a tattoo shop,” Danny replied. “On the slow days we’ll tattoo ourselves or each other.”

“They’re all really good.”

Danny smiled. “We’re not called the best tattoo shop in Beacon Hills for nothing.” He added a little bit more to his sketch before showing it to Ethan. “How does this look?” 

Ethan looked down at the sketch and was speechless. Danny had drawn two different wolves, one was gentle and lying down while the other was more aggressive and jumping over the other one. Ethan smiled. “It’s perfect.”

“Can you take your jacket off and hold out your arm?”

Ethan did so and Danny transferred the image onto his upper arm. Danny slipped on some gloves and pulled his equipment out. Ethan couldn’t help but let his eyes stray as Danny set everything up. Danny’s shirt rode up a little bit when he reached for something and Ethan saw part of a tattoo of a howling wolf that Ethan wanted to see more of. 

Danny gently took Ethan’s arm and moved it so he could easily tattoo, the touch making his heart race. “Is this comfortable?” Danny asked, looking up at Ethan. Ethan nodded, unable to speak in fear that he might say something he would regret. Danny smiled and turned his tattoo gun on, dipping it in ink. 

At the first touch of the needle, Ethan was starting to regret making his appointment with Danny. He always got hard during a tattoo, and it didn’t help that his artist was the hottest person he’d ever seen. He crossed his legs to try and hide his growing arousal and glanced over at his brother who was watching Lydia.

For the moment, Ethan was able to distract himself from his problem. Aiden started to flirt, even though Lydia seemed uninterested and unimpressed. Cora looked a little annoyed whenever she looked up from the tattoo, exchanging glances with Lydia.

He was brought back to Danny when he heard a chuckle from the man. Ethan glanced at Danny who had stopped for a second to look over at Aiden. “He always acts like that,” Ethan said, taking a moment to move his arm. “Always flirting.”

“He’s flirting with the wrong girl,” Danny said, dipping the needle in ink and moving Ethan’s arm back in place. “I wouldn’t be surprised if your brother ends up with a shitty tattoo.” 

“Would she really do that?” Ethan asked looking back at Danny and finding his heart skip a beat as Danny looked up at him. 

Danny shook his head. “No, but I know she’s thinking about it.”

“So, they’re like together?”

“Married, actually,” Danny replied. “Almost a year now.”

Ethan didn’t know what possessed him to say what he did next but he turned to Danny and asked, “And what about you? Are you taken?”

Danny stared at him for long moment, his tongue running over the piercing in his lip. Finally he smiled and looked back down at Ethan’s arm. “Do you want me to give you a shitty tattoo?” Danny joked. “Cause I will.”

“So, is that a no?”

Danny just smiled at him and went back to work, leaving Ethan with a racing heart. Part of him even wondered if Danny was going to screw up his tattoo for asking. But Danny didn’t seem that malicious. Instead, his touch remained light and he continued to work.

“So, what brings you and your brother to Beacon Hills?” Danny asked and Ethan was so glad for the change of subject. 

“A new start,” Ethan replied. “Aiden and I, we used to be in a biker gang. They weren’t good people and we left.”

“Our boss is the leader of a biker gang,” Danny commented, dipping the needle in ink. “Well, one of our leaders. They call themselves the Wolf Pack and they do a lot of charity work. They’re not dicks unless someone’s a dick to them. Even then, Scott’s hardly ever mean.”

“Sounds like a great group of people,” Ethan said, his eyes wandering again. Danny’s had so many tattoos of various things from comic book characters to quotes, and there were three different wolves that Ethan spotted on him. He wanted to reach out and touch. 

Images flashed through his mind of himself tracing the one on the side of Danny’s neck with his tongue and he had to force himself to look away once more. He was getting aroused again and tried to focus on something else.

“Are you okay?” 

Ethan nodded, refusing to look at Danny. He watched his brother instead who had finally given up on flirting with Lydia. “I’m okay.” 

“We’re halfway there, do you want a break?” Danny asked. “Move your arm around?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

Danny turned his machine off and sat back, throwing his gloves in the trash. He stretched his arms out and his shirt rode up, showing more tattoos. He caught one going up Danny’s left sides, what looked to be something with several thorns on it. He only got a flash before Danny’s shirt was covering it again.

“I need to go steal so more ink,” Danny said, getting up. “I’ll be right back.” Danny slipped into the backroom and Ethan leaned back in the chair trying to will his erection to go away. 

“Dude, someone is happy about their tattoo,” Aiden chuckled from the other side of the room. He could hear Lydia and Cora trying to hide their laughs. 

“Oh fuck you,” Ethan mumbled, flipping his brother off. He just had to get the hottest guy ever to give him a tattoo, didn’t he? 

“You know, Danny likes the coffee shop that’s just down the street,” Lydia said, looking up from her cellphone and smiling at Ethan. “I mean if you’re interested in more than just a tattoo.”

“Oh I think he’s interested all right,” Aiden snickered. 

“Aiden!”

Even Cora had to stop for a moment before she screwed up Aiden’s tattoo. Aiden just smiled at his twin. “What?”

“You’re a dick.”

The door to the backroom opened and the room suddenly went silent as Danny stepped back in the room. He glanced around at everyone before making his way over to his station. Ethan crossed his legs in an attempt to hide it even though he was pretty sure Danny had already seen it. 

Danny slipped a new pair of gloves on and went back to tattooing him, Ethan not missing the looks being shot at him from Aiden. After another half hour, the tattoo was finally done. 

“Alright,” Danny said, setting his machine down. “You’re all finished.”

Ethan looked down in his arm and found himself shocked. “Wow. It’s beautiful.” He turned his arm to get a better look in the mirror that Danny held up for him. “I think this is the best one I’ve gotten. Thank you.”

“No problem,” Danny replied with a smiling, setting the mirror down. “If you ever come back, maybe I’ll give you a discount.”

Ethan felt himself blush and looked away for a moment to see Aiden was finished as well. He looked back at Danny thinking over what Lydia had said. “I’m sure you get this a lot but do you think we could have coffee sometime? Maybe at the shop down the street?”

Danny seemed a little shocked and stared at Ethan for a moment before he was smiling. “Yeah, coffee sounds great.” He grabbed his sketchbook and a pen, sliding it over to Ethan. “Let me get your number and I’ll give you a call.”

Ethan jotted down his number, not missing Lydia and Cora exchanging a smile as they watched from the other side of the room. Aiden gave him the thumbs up when he glanced over at him. Danny ripped an empty part of the page off and wrote down his own number. “So, I’ll see you soon then?”

Ethan nodded. “Yeah, I’ll see you soon.” 

Ethan got up and walked over to Lydia to pay for his tattoo as Danny cleaned up his station to get ready for his next customer. His eyes kept wandering as he waited for Aiden to pay for his. Danny looked up at him a couple of times, a faint blush on his cheeks. 

He waved goodbye once Aiden finished paying and the twins left the shop, Aiden clasping him on the shoulder when they reached their bikes. “So?”

“So, we exchanged numbers.”

Aiden smiled and got on his bike. “Three weeks in a new town and you’ve already gotten someone’s attention.”

“We’ll wait and see if he even calls first.”

“Of course he’ll call. No one can resist our charm.”

A little over a week later, Ethan found himself waiting for Danny in the tiny coffee shop. He had picked a table by the window and slowly sipped on his mocha as he watched the people scurrying around outside as the rain poured. Danny had promised to meet him around three and Ethan had been sitting there for almost twenty minutes without any sign of Danny.

He was just about to get up and leave when the door opened and Danny ran inside. He pushed his hood down and looked around the shop, smiling when he spotted Ethan. He went over and ordered his coffee before sitting on the other side of the table. “I’m sorry, the tattoo I was doing took longer than expected. I hope you weren’t waiting too long.”

“It’s okay, gave my coffee time to cool down,” Ethan said with a smile. “How are you?”

“I’m good,” Danny replied, sliding his coat off and placing it on the back of the chair to give it a chance to dry. He was wearing a Nightwing shirt this time, the sleeves covering more of his arms but it was just as tight as the tank he first saw Danny in. “So, how are you enjoying Beacon Hills?”

“I like it so far,” Ethan replied, leaning back in his chair. “We’ve found an apartment near the preserve and we’ve gotten more hours at our job.”

“Where do you work?” 

“The autoshop,” Ethan replied.

“Boyd and Erica’s place?”

Ethan nodded. “Yeah, they were the ones to recommend the tattoo shop actually.”

Danny smiled. “I should have guessed you two were the twins they were talking about. You like your job then?”

“Yeah, I like working with cars. The gang I was in, we didn’t really have jobs.”

“What did you do for money?”

Ethan frowned and looked out the window falling silent. It took a few minutes before he spoke again. “Nothing I’m proud of,” Ethan answered quietly. “To be honest, I-I wasn’t a very good person.”

Ethan jumped when he felt a hand on his arm and looked over at Danny. Danny gave his arm a gentle squeeze. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” Danny’s thumb gently caressed Ethan’s skin. “It’s good you got out of a bad situation. I think this place will be good for you.”

Ethan felt himself smile. “Thank you.”

“You should join our pack,” Danny said. “You and your brother. I think we could help you.”

“Aiden and I have been talking about it. We’ve heard a lot of good things about the Wolf Pack, and we really love riding. I’m not ready to give that up. I don’t think Aiden is either.”

“I think Scott and Derek will be happy to let you join the pack. I’ll set up a meeting if you want.”

“Yeah, I would like that.”

“I’ll let you know,” Danny said, his fingers trailing to the tattoo on the inside of Ethan’s wrist. Danny gently pulled Ethan’s arm towards him, his finger tracing the foreign words. “What’s this?”

“Kleiner wolf, it means little wolf in German,” Ethan replied. “It’s my mother’s nickname for me.” 

A smile tugged at Danny’s lips as he admired the tattoo. His fingers moving to the little trail of paw prints underneath the words. “It’s a nice tattoo. You said you had two? Well, three now.”

“It’s from our old gang,” Ethan said, pulling down the front of his shirt to show the triskele, his much different than the one Danny had. “Everyone had it. I don’t really want it anymore.”

Danny reached out and touched the tattoo, Ethan sucking in a breath at the touch. Danny’s fingers traced it. “It’s scarred. Who did this?”

“Another member of the pack,” Ethan replied, pulling away from Danny’s hand and covering it back up. “It hurt like a bitch too.”

“You know, I also do cover ups,” Danny said. “It’ll be a little harder cause that one’s been scarred, but I could change it, if you wanted.”

“Yeah, I just-I need to think of something I really want first.”

Danny nodded. “I understand. Tattoos should be meaningful.”

“Which one was your first?” 

“There’s a full moon on the back of my shoulder that I got when I was sixteen,” Danny said. 

“How long before you were covered?”

Danny laughed. “Only took a couple of years, by the time I was twenty, I was already working for the Hales.” He paused for a moment and leaned forward just a bit. “What about you? How many more do you plan on getting?”

Ethan shrugged. “I actually haven’t thought about it before. Maybe a few more? I don’t think I’d look as good as you do covered.” 

Danny smiled. “Well, spend enough time with me and you might change your mind.”

“Does that mean more coffee dates?”

“If you’re interested,” Danny said. “then yes.”

The two of them continued to talk for almost an hour before Danny looked at his phone when he received a text, cursing. “I didn’t realize it was so late. Damn.”

“Late for an appointment?” 

“Almost,” Danny replied, downing the rest of his coffee and throwing his coat back on. “I have to go. I’m sorry.”

“Wait,” Ethan said, standing up and gently grabbing Danny’s arm, stopping him. “How about I give you a ride back? I mean, I am the reason you’re almost late.”

Danny was silent for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, it’ll be much faster than walking.”

They walked outside and Ethan got on his bike before handing Danny his helmet. Danny glanced down at it before looking up at Ethan. “What about you?”

“It’s not that far, I’ll be fine,” Ethan replied, patting the spot behind him. “Hop on.”

Danny put the helmet on before getting on behind Ethan. Danny’s arms wrapped around Ethan’s front and he slide closer to him. Ethan started his bike up and drove them to the tattoo shop. 

They reached the shop and Ethan parked outside the front. Danny didn’t get off right away. Instead, he took the helmet off and handed it back before his voice was right in Ethan’s ear. “Thank you, Ethan.” Ethan turned his head to look at Danny, their faces mere inches apart. He could feel Danny’s breath ghosting over his lips. 

“You’re welcome.”

Danny still didn’t move, his hands falling to Ethan’s waist. “When can I see you again?”

“Whenever you want,” Ethan replied, his eyes falling to Danny’s lips. He wanted to kiss him so badly and he hardly knew him. “All you have to do is call.”

Danny smiled before pulling away from Ethan and getting off the bike. “I’ll see you soon, Ethan.”

“Yeah, see you soon.”

Ethan found himself hanging out at the tattoo shop more and more. He’d watch Danny work, and they would often walk down to the coffee shop or a diner during Danny’s breaks. Ethan got to learn more about Danny and in turn, Ethan opened up for the first time ever. 

They even found they had several things in common, from the music they enjoy to books they read. Their favorite author was even the same. 

“Do you want to go see a movie?” Ethan asked one day as they sat across from each other at a diner. “There’s a new horror movie coming out that looks really interesting, so maybe you and I could catch a late showing tonight?”

Danny smiled. “Yeah, I would love to.”

“So, I’ll pick you up after work?”

Danny nodded. “Yeah. I get off at eight tonight.”

The waiter came over with the check and Ethan swiped it before Danny could see it. He was just about to pull his wallet out when Danny took it out of his hands. “I got this, you can get the movie.”


	2. Chapter 2

Danny had been drawing in his sketchbook when Lydia pulled a chair open. He immediately shut the book, not wanting her to see what he was working on. “Honey, I already saw it,” Lydia said, pulling the book towards her to admire the picture of Ethan before flipping through the previous pages. There were a few more pictures of Ethan and she stopped on one that was more provocative. You couldn’t see faces, but it was obvious who was in it. “Oh. That’s really good.”

Danny tried to take the book back but earned a slap on his hand. “Lydia.”

“I wasn’t aware you and Ethan were a thing yet,” Lydia commented, turning the book horizontal for a better look at the image. 

“We’re not,” Danny said, reaching out again and earning another slap. “Come on, Lydia. Give it back.”

“I’m just admiring the work,” Lydia said, turning the book again and flipping to another page. “So you and Ethan, how are things? You two seem pretty close for a not couple.”

Danny rolled his eyes and managed to get the sketchbook back, flipping it to his current drawing. “I’m not rushing into it.” He picked his pencil back up and continued shading. “He is taking me to a movie tonight.”

“Ooh, that sounds like a date.”

“Maybe it is.”

“You really like him, don’t you?”

Danny couldn’t help the smile forming. “Yeah, I do. He’s really sweet to me.”

“He already sounds better than all your exes.”

“Some of them were sweet.”

“Only when they wanted in your pants,” Lydia said. “but Ethan seems different. More caring.”

“Well, he’s getting to know me first so that has earned him some points.”

“So if tonight goes well, do you think you’ll have a boyfriend?”

Danny shrugged. “We’ll have to wait and see.”

“I want all the details.”

“Of course you do.”

The door to the shop opened and Lydia got up. “Your next appointment is here, sweetie.”

Hours later as Danny was cleaning up from his last client, Ethan walked over and sat on the edge of the table. “Hey, you ready to go?”

“I just need finish cleaning up and putting all the supplies away,” Danny replied. “When does the movie start?”

“Eight forty-five,” Ethan replied, reaching out for the sketchbook on the desk. Danny quickly snatched it and threw it in a drawer. “Sorry.”

“It’s my private sketchbook,” Danny explained. “The only person who’s ever really seen it was Lydia, but that cause you can’t hide anything from her.” He capped the ink bottles and put them in a different drawer. “Did you remember a second helmet this time?”

“Yeah, I stole Aiden’s,” Ethan replied. “I still need to get an extra one.”

Danny finished putting everything away before standing up. “Alright, let’s get out of here.”

They walked out of the shop, Cora giving him a wink and the thumbs up. Ethan handed the extra helmet to Danny when they reached his bike before they hopped on. Danny slipped his hand around Ethan and held on tight as Ethan started the bike up and pulled out of the parking lot. 

One of Danny’s favorite things was riding on the back of a motorcycle. He slid closer to Ethan, feeling himself becoming aroused as Ethan zipped through traffic. When they reached the theatre, Danny had to give himself a moment to calm down before climbing off the bike, his legs shaking a bit. 

“Are you alright?” Ethan asked, accepting the helmet from Danny and putting it away along with his own. 

“I’m fine,” Danny replied. “I just really like motorcycle rides.”

Danny watched Ethan’s cheeks turn a little pink. “Oh. Well, it’s not uncommon. Same thing happens to me sometimes.” Ethan nodded towards the theatre. “Shall we?”

They got inside and Ethan bought their tickets before stepping up to the snack counter. “How about we share popcorn and just get two drinks?” Danny asked. “I never finish my popcorn anyways.”

Ethan nodded. “Yeah, we can do that. You don’t mind extra butter do you?”

“I love extra butter,” Danny replied. “And the nacho cheddar seasoning they have.”

“We can put that on there,” Ethan said before ordering for them. He handed the bucket over to Danny and let him go wild with the seasoning. Once the popcorn was to their liking, they walked into the movie and took a seat near the back where no one else was really sitting. 

Danny kicked back and put his feet on the top of the seat in front of him, reaching over and grabbing a handful of popcorn from the bucket in Ethan’s lap. “I haven’t been to the movies in a while,” Danny said. “I normally go with Jackson, but he’s been busy lately.”

“Aiden and I haven’t gone to a movie since we’ve left our gang.”

“Why didn’t you invite him to come with us?”

“Because I wanted to see a movie with you,” Ethan replied, looking up at Danny.

The previews started and Danny turned back towards the screen to watch them. Sometime during the second preview, Danny leaned closer to Ethan and rested his hand on the armrest between them. “What do you think about this one?”

“Looks good,” Ethan replied. “Maybe we can go see it when it comes out.”

Danny nodded. “Yeah, and next time I’ll pay.” He turned towards Ethan and smiled before grabbing some more popcorn. He didn’t miss Ethan’s eyes falling to his lips for a couple of seconds before he turned towards the screen again. Danny smirked and laid his hand back down between them. 

As the movie started, he felt Ethan lay his hand over his making his heart skip a beat. He looked down at them for a moment and smile before looking up at the movie. A few minutes later, he turned his hand up and intertwined their fingers, watching Ethan out of the corner of his eye.

Ethan’s eyes were on their hands and Danny could have sworn that he was blushing. Danny went back to the movie, leaning against Ethan’s shoulder. 

Twenty minutes in, Ethan let go of Danny’s hand and slipped his arm around Danny’s shoulders. Danny’s heart raced in his chest and he rested his head on Ethan’s shoulder, resting his feet on the ground again so he could see the screen better. 

Danny tried to pay attention to the movie, but found it hard to focus as Ethan’s hand gently rubbed his arm. Sometime after the third person was killed, Danny lifted his head off of Ethan’s shoulder and looked at him. He seemed engrossed in the film, but as soon as Danny touched his cheek Ethan turned to look at him. 

His thumb gently caressed Ethan’s cheek and he glanced down at Ethan’s lips. Without another thought, Danny closed the distance between them. His heart threatening to burst out of his chest as Ethan kissed back, one hand wrapping around the back of Danny’s neck. 

He had thought about kissing Ethan since their first coffee date and none of his fantasies could ever add up to the real thing. Ethan pulled back a few minutes later and rested his forehead against Danny’s. “Wow,” he breathed out.

Danny felt himself smiled. “Wow is right,” He mumbled, his fingers running down Ethan’s chest. “Can we do it again?”

Ethan nodded and pressed their lips together again. Ethan’s fingers ran through Danny’s hair, messing it up but Danny didn’t care. He kissed back, his hands moving to Ethan’s shoulders and digging in slightly as Ethan’s tongue traced over his lips that he eagerly parted in invitation. Danny moaned softly and wrapped his arms around Ethan’s neck, a part of him unable to believe that he and Ethan were actually doing this. 

The popcorn fell from Ethan’s lap but they were too wrapped up in each other to notice. They were both breathless by the time Ethan pressed a final kiss to Danny’s lips. He then pressed a kiss to Danny’s forehead. “I’ve wanted to do that for a while now.”

“Me too,” Danny whispered as Ethan brushed their noses together. He wanted to kiss him again and never stop, but he held back. “Let me take you to dinner after this.”

Ethan smiled. “Yeah, dinner sounds great.”

They ended up cuddling throughout the rest of the movie before heading to a small Italian diner that Danny suggested. They sat across from each other and ordered their drinks. They sat in silence, both of them nervous and suddenly shy.

Ethan reached out and traced the Starfleet symbol on Danny’s forearm. “How did you get into Star Trek?”

“My grandma,” Danny replied. “I told you I was raised by her right?” Ethan nodded and Danny continued. “I grew up watching the show because she always had it on. I have several Star Trek tattoos as well. She was so excited when I showed her this one though. It was my first Star Trek one and I got it because our favorite character was Spock.”

Ethan’s fingers trailed to the script underneath. “and this? It’s in Vulcan right?”

Danny nodded. “Live long and prosper.”

Ethan smiled and traced the letters. “It’s nice.”

“Thanks.”

Danny took Ethan’s wrist and turned it so he could see his tattoo. “What made you decide to get your nickname tattooed?”

Ethan pulled his hand away, a frown forming on his face. “She died when we were nine. I wanted something to remember her by. The paw prints were inspired by the paw prints she had circling her wrist.”

Danny reached out and took Ethan’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I lost my mother when I was two. I didn’t have the chance to know her, but I vaguely remember her singing me to sleep. I tattooed her lullaby over my heart.”

Ethan raised his head. “Will you show me one day?”

Danny nodded. “Yeah, I’ll show you.” 

The waitress came by to take their order, but Danny didn’t let go of Ethan’s hand, not until their food came. Even then, he seemed reluctant to do it. They ate in silence for a few minutes before Danny started to talk between bites, asking Ethan more about his past. “So, where did you go after your mother died?”

“Our grandmother took us in for a while before our uncle took us when she got sick. We found the biker gang shortly after that.”

Danny took a sip from his Coke and was quiet for a moment. “Why did you leave them?”

“I’m not ready to talk about it,” Ethan mumbled before stuffing his face with food.

Danny nodded. “Okay. You don’t have to.” He took a few more bites before speaking again. “Why Beacon Hills?”

Ethan looked up. “Hmm?”

“Why did you choose Beacon Hills?”

“We passed through here before, back with the old gang,” Ethan replied. “Aiden and I liked it, so we came back.”

“I’ve been here almost my whole life,” Danny said. “I was born in Hawaii and lived there for three years before my dad moved us here.”

“Do you ever go back?”

Danny nodded. “Yeah, I still have a lot of family there so I try to visit every summer. It’s nice out there.” He reached out and intertwined their fingers. “I thought about moving back once.”

“Why haven’t you?”

“I like it here too, and all my friends are here,” Danny answered. “I can’t leave them. Plus, I got to meet you.”

Ethan blushed slightly and looked away for a moment before looking up at Danny again, a smile on his face. “I guess that’s another good thing about Beacon Hills, you’re here.”

It was Danny’s turn to blush and look away. “You really think so?”

Ethan gave Danny’s hand a gentle squeeze. “Yeah, I do. I’m glad Aiden and I decided to come here.” Ethan leaned across the table and gave Danny a gentle kiss. “I’m glad I met you.” He kissed him again before sitting back and smiling again. 

Danny wasn’t ready for the night to be over once they left the diner. Once they arrived back at the tattoo shop so Danny could get his car, Danny hugged Ethan a little tighter not ready to let go. Ethan shut the bike off and took his helmet off. “Tonight was nice,” Ethan said. “Wonderful, actually.”

Danny finally pulled back and took his own helmet off. “We’ll have to do it again sometime.” He pressed a kiss to Ethan’s cheek. “Soon.”

Ethan turned his head and captured Danny’s lips. “Anytime you want,” Ethan whispered before kissing him again, one hand going up to cup Danny’s cheek. Danny couldn’t help but to kiss back. The taste of him was addicting. 

They were both breathless when Danny forced himself to pull away. “I want to see you tomorrow.”

“I’ll come by the shop, and we can go get some coffee.”

Danny nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He gave Ethan one more kiss before he hoped off the bike and headed to his car, Ethan waiting until Danny had gotten inside before starting his bike. Danny gave him a wave before starting up his car and heading home.

Once home, Danny went into Jackson’s room and collapsed on his best friend’s bed, a goofy smile on his face. Jackson turned over to face him. “I take it your date went well?”

Danny nodded and looked at his friend. “Better than I thought.” Danny let out a soft sigh as he thought about the date. “I kissed him at the movie, God it was fucking amazing. I never-I never had a kiss like that before.”

Jackson laughed. “I thought I was your best kiss?”

Danny reached out and playfully shoved his friend. “We were drunk and in high school. It doesn’t count.”

“So, this is serious then? You really like him?”

Danny nodded. “Yeah, I really like him, Jackson. I like him so much. I don’t-I’ve never felt like this before.”

“I’ve never seen you like this before,” Jackson commented. “It’s a good look on you. You know I have to officially meet him now, right?”

“If you even try to scare him away, I am kicking your ass.”

“I just want to make sure my best friend is taken care of. What’s so wrong about that?”

Danny shook his head and closed his eyes, a smile still on his face. “I can’t wait to see him tomorrow.”

“You really got it bad this time.”


	3. Chapter 3

The following day, Danny was sketching something out in his sketchbook when he felt a pair of arms circling his neck. “Hey,” Ethan whispered in his ear before pressing a kiss to Danny’s cheek, making Danny’s heart race. “What are you working on?”

“Nothing,” Danny replied, closing the book. 

“Want to go get some coffee?”

“Can’t,” Danny answered. “I’ve got an appointment in twenty minutes, but I’ll be free after that.”

Ethan pulled away and slid a chair over from another station. He reached out for the sketchbook but Danny slide it away. “Still won’t let me see?”

Danny smiled. “Nope. It’s private.”

“Not even a peek?”

Danny was silent for a moment before opening it back up to his current drawing. “This is all you get to see.” He picked his pencil back up and started to shade in a tree in the background. 

Ethan leaned over his shoulder, taking in the picture of a male fairy sitting on a tree stump with a wolf at his side. “That’s amazing.” Danny could feel himself beginning to blush, but he didn’t say anything. “I could never draw something like that. All I’m good at is stick figures.”

Danny laughed. “Takes practice, Ethan. I wasn’t always so good.”

“Somehow I find that hard to believe,” Ethan said. “You’re amazing.” He leaned a little closer, his lips brushing against Danny’s ear. “Really amazing.” Danny turned his head and kissed him, cupping Ethan’s face with one hand. He wasn’t used to being praised by a boyfriend, and each word made his heart race faster. Ethan broke the kiss and brushed their noses together. “Will you draw me something?” Ethan asked quietly. 

“Do you have anything in mind?”

Ethan shook his head. “Whatever you feel like drawing.”

“Yeah, but it’ll be a surprise.”

Ethan smiled and kissed him. “Okay.”

“Do you have any plans this weekend?” 

Ethan shrugged. “I don’t think so, why?”

“Maybe, if you want to, you could come over Saturday night?” Danny asked, feeling a little shy. 

Ethan smiled. “I want to.” 

“Hey, lovebirds!” Laura called out from the couch against the back wall. “You’re scaring off my customers.”

“Oh let them be,” Lydia said, flopping down on the couch next to Laura and smiling at the couple. “They’re adorable.”

“Screw you guys!” Danny called out, his face going red. He hunched over his sketchbook and continued his drawing. “Like you and Cora don’t act the same way, Lydia!”

“And we’re adorable doing it!” Lydia replied with a smirk. “Aren’t we honey?”

Cora stopped tattooing for a moment to turn and smile at her wife. “Of course, we are. But I think they’ve got us beat, they look like two adorable little puppies.”

“I think you’re embarrassing them,” Allison said from where she sat at the front desk. She didn’t work at the shop, but she often visited. “Look at how red they’re getting.” 

“I hate each and every one of you,” Danny growled, flipping them off. 

Ethan snickered. “That was a little vulgar.”

“Oh, I can get worse than that,” Danny said, closing his sketchbook when he glanced at the clock. “Take a walk with me.”

“What about your appointment?”

“I’ll be back before they arrive.” Danny stood up and reached a hand out towards Ethan. Ethan took it and allowed himself to be lead through the backroom and outside where there was a small garden. Danny sat down on a bench and looked up at the clear sky. “I’m sorry about my friends.”

Ethan sat next to him. “It’s ok. Aiden can be the same way.” He reached out and placed his hand over Danny’s. “Not in such a nice manner, but he’s done it.” 

Danny leaned against Ethan and rested his head on his shoulder. “Wait till you meet Jackson.”

“Will he be there this weekend?”

Danny shrugged. “He might make an appearance just to try and intimidate you.”

Ethan moved his hand to Danny’s thigh and traced a tattoo there. “Does he do that often?”

“Apparently, I attract assholes,” Danny replied, resisting taking Ethan’s hand and putting it somewhere else. The hand stopped and landed on his knee. “He’s just trying to look out for me.”

“I wouldn’t hurt you.”

Danny lifted his head and smiled at Ethan. “You better not, cause you wouldn’t have to worry about Jackson. I’d kick your ass myself.” He kissed Ethan before resting his head on his shoulder again and closing his eyes. “I just want to stay out here.”

Ethan wrapped his arm around Danny’s shoulder. “Me too.” 

Danny lifted his head back up a few minutes later and gave Ethan a kiss. As he went to pull away, Ethan pulled him back in, wrapping a hand around the back of Danny’s neck. Danny closed his eyes and moaned softly as he kissed back. It was just like the previous night, Danny didn’t want to stop and neither did Ethan.

“Danny!” Laura shouted out from the backdoor. “Stop making out with your boyfriend and get your ass back in here!”

Danny reluctantly pulled away from Ethan and glared at his boss. “What?”

“Your next appointment is here,” Laura said. “A little early, but he’s here. Hurry up.”

Danny sighed softly as Laura went back inside and looked back at Ethan. “Sorry.” He gave Ethan one last kiss, his lips lingering just a little too long.

“DANNY!”

Danny stood up and took Ethan’s hand, leading him back inside. “After this, I’ll be clear for a couple of hours. We can go eat or something.”

“Okay.”

Ethan sat with Allison and Laura on the couch as Danny worked, Lydia eventually coming and hoping onto his lap when Cora’s next appointment came up. “You guys really are cute,” Lydia said, leaning back against him. 

Ethan wrapped an arm around Lydia. They had grown close since Ethan began hanging around. “Really?”

Lydia nodded. “Yeah, it’s been a long time since Danny had an actual nice guy. Everyone else has been an asshole.”

“I heard.”

Lydia turned her head to look at him. “Don’t hurt him, or I’ll rip your balls off with my bare hands.”

Ethan blinked at her a couple times, a little shocked. “Then you’re in line right after Jackson.”

“Oh please, I’ll kick Jackson out of the way.”

“I’m not going to hurt him,” Ethan said, looking back to where Danny was working. “I like him too much.”

Ethan was super nervous once Saturday rolled around. He and Danny never actually been alone together, they were either at the shop or somewhere else public. He looked up at Danny’s house, his heart racing at the thought of what could happen. He took a couple of deep breaths before getting off his bike and walking up to the house. He rang the doorbell and waited.

It didn’t take Danny very long to answer and he smiled at Ethan and stepped aside to let him in. “You’re a little early.”

Ethan looked around the place in awe. It was a very nice place and it seemed to be very expensive as well. “It was just in case I got lost. This place is really nice.”

“Well, that’s Jackson for you,” Danny said, leading Ethan into the front room. “He likes expensive things.” He sat down on the couch, his sketchbook sitting on the coffee table and opened to a blank page. “I figured out what I wanted to draw.”

“Yeah? What’s that?”

“You,” Danny said, his cheeks going red as he looked away to pick up his sketchbook and pencils. “Umm, do you want to go lay down on the couch over there?” Danny asked, pointing to the other side of the room. “Take your shirt off?”

Ethan laughed. “A little fast, don’t you think?”

Danny hid his face behind the book. “You can keep it on.”

“I’ll take it off,” Ethan said. He pulled his shirt off and tossed it aside, smiling as Danny’s eyes ran over his chest. He pushed the sketchbook aside and leaned in giving Danny a kiss. “But you have to take yours off too.”

Danny smiled and took his shirt off. “Better?”

Ethan nodded as he looked at Danny’s tattooed chest. He was almost completely covered in tattoos, and his nipples were pierced. He smiled and brushed a finger over one of them making Danny groan. “These are nice.”

Danny playfully pushed him away. “Go lay down on the couch.”

Ethan gave him another kiss before going over to the other couch. He lay down and gave Danny a wink as he unbuttoned his pants and tugged them down a little bit. He smirked when Danny turned even redder. 

Danny picked the sketchbook back up and started to sketch. Ethan watched him work. He very quickly became engrossed in his work. Ethan’s pants began to get tight as he watched Danny’s tongue play with the ring in his lip, imagining other uses for that tongue. 

Ethan tried to subtly reached down to adjust his pants when he thought Danny wasn’t looking, but knew he was caught when he looked back up and saw Danny staring. Suddenly, the sketchbook was thrown aside and Danny was in his lap, leaning in and kissing him. 

Ethan kissed back, putting his hands on Danny’s back. Danny moaned softly. “This was a bad idea,” He whispered. “I thought-I thought I could control myself better.”

“We can stop,” Ethan said, as his hands moved down to cup Danny’s butt. “If you want.”

“I don’t want to stop.”

“I don’t either.”

Danny kissed Ethan again, aligning their hips and rutting against him. Ethan gasped, fingers digging into Danny’s back. There was a part of him telling him to stop, that it was too soon, but then Danny kissed him again and he couldn’t think anymore.

Their pants were pushed down at some point and Danny wrapped a hand around their cocks. Ethan bucked up into the touch, pressing his face against Danny’s neck and moaning loudly. It had been so long since he was with someone and he didn’t think he was going to last very long, and judging by the sounds Danny was making he wasn’t going to last either.

He looked between them and his eyes widened when he saw a glint of metal. His hand joined Danny’s, one finger rubbing the metal piercing. Danny moaned as Ethan touched him. “You like it?”

Ethan nodded and crushed their lips together. “Fuck yeah.” He kissed him again. “Can I suck you?” 

Danny smiled and they shifted on the couch so he was on the bottom. Ethan smiled and ran his tongue around the piercing. Danny swore and clutched the back of the couch. 

Ethan ran his hands up to Danny’s hips and wrapped his lips around the head of Danny’s cock. Danny moaned and gripped some of Ethan’s hair as he watched his cock slip between Ethan’s lips. “Oh my God.”

Ethan wrapped a hand around what he couldn’t take and stroked it, occasionally slipping it down to play with Danny’s balls. Danny moaned and whimpered, shallowly thrusting into Ethan’s mouth. “Fuck..” He groaned, feeling a familiar heat pooling inside him. “Fuck, Ethan.” 

Ethan moaned around Danny’s cock and Danny gasped, body stilling for a moment. “Oh my God.” Ethan moaned again, sucking on the head and stroking the rest. Danny whimpered, gripping Ethan’s shoulders tightly. His moans got louder, his whole body shaking. He felt ready to explode. Ethan quickened his hand, bobbing his head as much as he could. 

Danny couldn’t help but thrust up and Ethan took it, moaning again and encouraging him. Ethan let go of Danny’s cock and wrapped his hand around his own, quickly stroking himself as Danny fucked his mouth. Danny’s thrusts got faster, his moans louder. “Oh my God. Oh my God!” His fingers dug into Ethan’s skin, his body shaking. “Ethan…” He whined. “Oh my God, Ethan!”

He stilled suddenly as he came with a shout. “Ethan!”

Ethan moaned and swallowed it down before wiping his mouth and kissed his way up Danny’s chest. He gave him a kiss and Danny could taste himself on Ethan’s lips. The kiss deepened and Danny moved a hand down to join Ethan’s. Together they brought him off, Ethan collapsing and smearing his cum on Danny’s chest. 

Danny smiled and gave him another kiss. “If this feels amazing, I can only imagine how it’ll feel when I get you in bed.”

Ethan laughed and kissed him back. “It’ll be the best fucking thing ever.” 

They kissed again and were too wrapped up in one another to hear the car pull into the driveway. It was the door closing and Jackson yelling out, “What the hell!?” that broke then out of their little world. They turned towards Jackson who was staring at them in shock and amusement for several seconds before heading up the stairs. “You’re getting that couch cleaned!”

Ethan pulled away from Danny, his face red from embarrassment. “I’m guess that’s Jackson?”

Danny nodded. “It is.”

“Oh my God.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Danny said, sitting up and giving Ethan a kiss. “I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve walked in on him. Let’s get cleaned up and I can introduce you properly.” 

After they washed up and got their clothes back on, Danny ran upstairs to get Jackson. Ethan was nervous as Jackson came back down stairs and looked him over. He seemed familiar, like he’d seen him before, but Ethan couldn’t place where.

Jackson raised an eyebrow. “So, this is the guy you’ve been talking non-stop about.” 

“Jackson, please be nice.”

“I’ll be nice,” Jackson replied, turning towards him. “Hey, how about you go grab us all something to drink and I can chat with your boyfriend.”

Danny gave Jackson a look before going into the kitchen. Once he was out of earshot, Jackson stepped closer to Ethan, his voice quiet. “I know who you are,” Jackson said. “And I would appreciate it if you didn’t drag Danny into your world.”

Ethan stared at him for a moment. “I-I don’t do that anymore.”

“You better not be.”

“I-“

“Jackson, you can stop your interrogation now,” Danny said, walking into the room pushing a can of coke into Jackson’s hand before standing next to Ethan and handing him a can. He wrapped an arm around Ethan’s waist and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “You guys getting along?”

“Everything’s all good here,” Jackson said, smiling at Danny. He gave Ethan a look before sitting on the couch Danny had been drawing at. “So, can you two keep your hands to yourself or do I need to leave?”

“I think we can do that,” Danny said, taking Ethan’s free hand and leading him to the couch. “Right, Ethan?”

Ethan nodded. He was no longer in a good mood but Danny didn’t seem to notice. He left a few hours later, giving Danny a kiss and promising to take him to lunch the following day. He came home to an empty house and frowned, not remembering Aiden telling him he had plans.


	4. Chapter 4

Danny looked out of the window of the coffee shop with a frown. His break would be over in twenty minutes and there was still no sign of Ethan. He checked his phone for the millionth time to find there was still no message from his boyfriend. There had been something wrong with Ethan by the time he left his house the previous day and now Danny was beginning to wish he asked what it was. 

He opened a text to Ethan on his phone and typed, ‘missed you today.’ He sent the text before going back to the shop feeling a little rejected. 

After a week passed with no sign of Ethan, he decided to go up to the twin’s apartment. He hadn’t been over there before but he did know it was in a bad part of town. He made sure his car was locked as he looked up at the apartment building. There were a couple of windows that were busted and covered by wood or paper and the front door was barely hanging on. He made his way up the stairs and found Ethan’s. There was music blasting and he could hear arguing coming from inside. He hesitated before knocking. When no one answered he knocked again.

The door was thrown open a few minutes later to reveal Ethan who was red in the face and looked very, very angry. “What!” Danny stepped back in shock and the anger drained from Ethan’s face. “Oh my God, Danny. I’m sorry, I thought you were one of the neighbors.” He stepped out into the hallway and closed the door. “What are you doing here?”

“I haven’t seen you for a while, I thought I would come over,” Danny said, suddenly regretting coming. “But you’re obviously busy so I’ll leave.”

“No Danny, wait,” Ethan said, catching Danny by the arm as he turned away. “Wait.” When Danny turned back around, Ethan let go of him. “I’m sorry, I’ve just been busy. Give me a second and we can go out to lunch.”

Danny nodded and went to follow him into the apartment but Ethan stopped him. “Can you wait out here? Please?”

“Okay.”

The door shut and he heard some more yelling before Ethan running back out with his coat on and his keys in his hand. “Okay, let’s go.”

“You okay?” Danny asked once they got to the restaurant and their food arrived. Ethan hadn’t spoken much and kept staring out the window. He barely even touched his food.

Ethan nodded. “Yeah, things are just tight right now and Aiden keep disappearing to who knows where.”

“Does he normally do that?”

Ethan was silent for a moment. “We try to keep each other informed about what we’re doing.”

“Where do you think he’s going?”

“I honestly do not know. I just hope he’s not falling back into old habits.”

“Old habits?”

Ethan shook his head. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Does it have anything to do with your old gang?”

Ethan nodded. “Yeah.”

Danny reached out and took Ethan’s hand giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’m sorry, Ethan. How about you and me go see a movie? I’ll pay.”

“Danny-“

“Please? You’re my boyfriend and I want to do something nice for you.”

Ethan nodded. “Okay.”

“Anything you want to see?”

“Actually, do you think that maybe we could go back to your place?” Ethan asked. “Watch a movie there?”

Danny nodded. “Yeah, that’s fine with me. We can do that.”

After they finished eating and Danny paid for the bill, he drove them back to his place. “We can go up to my room,” Danny said, kicking off his Vans and heading towards the stairs. Ethan followed and once he stepped inside the bedroom, Danny was pulling him into his arms and kissing him. 

A few moments later Danny pulled away with a smile. “Movies are on the TV stand, pick whatever you want. Do you want a beer?”

Ethan nodded. “Yeah, a beer would be great.”

Danny gave him another kiss. “I’ll be right back.”

Ethan was still going through the DVD case when Danny came back in. He sat down next to Ethan and handed him a beer before taking a drink of his own. “Find anything yet?”

“There are a lot of good movies in here.”

“Pick your favorite.”

Ethan set his beer on the nightstand and pulled out The Boondock Saints. He got up and put it in the DVD player before sitting back down on the bed. Danny wrapped his arms around him and pulled him down, shifting them so they were spooning. “Jackson will be home later,” Danny said, grabbing the remote and hitting play. “So he might come in and bother us.” 

“He doesn’t like me does he?”

“Jackson doesn’t like anyone,” Danny said, hugging Ethan a little tighter. “but I like you so that’s all that really matter.”

Ethan smiled and turned his head for a kiss. “Yeah, I guess so. I might fall asleep. I’ve been exhausted lately.”

“That’s okay,” Danny said, giving him another kiss. “I might fall asleep too.”

The couple ended falling asleep shortly into the second movie they put in, Danny holding Ethan tightly. They woke up to Danny’s alarm going off the next morning. Ethan looked at the clock and groaned, forgetting where he was for a moment. 

“Shit, I did fall asleep.”

“Did you need to be anywhere?” Danny asked, shutting his alarm off. He sat up and stretched, his shirt riding up. Danny smiled when he noticed Ethan looking and leaned over for a morning kiss. “I’ll drop you off at home on the way to work.”

Danny ended up being a few minutes late and Laura chewed him out after they ended up making out in front of Ethan’s apartment building for a good ten minutes.

A few weeks later, Danny walked through the doors of the autoshop. Erica came out of the back with a smile on her face. “Hey, Danny. Car problems?”

“Actually, I was wondering if I could steal Ethan for a moment?”

“Yeah, we don’t have much to work on right now,” Erica said. “Come on in back.”

Aiden and Ethan were sitting side by side on the trunk of a car talking as Aiden smoked. “Ethan!”

Ethan jumped and looked over at Erica before smiling and hopping off the car. “Danny!” He walked over and wrapped his arms around Danny’s neck and kissed him. “Hey.”

“Hey yourself,” Danny said, wrapping his arms around Ethan’s waist. “Not too busy today?”

Ethan shook his head. “No, what are you doing here?”

“I can’t come and see you at work?”

“Of course you can,” Ethan said, pulling away and taking Danny’s hand. “Want to go take a walk?” Danny nodded and Ethan led him out the back. “So, what’s up?”

“I was wondering how you felt about H.I.M,” Danny asked.

“Him who?”

“The band,” Danny replied.

“Oh! I actually really like them, why?”

“I got us tickets.”

Ethan stopped and turned towards him. “You got us tickets?!” Danny nodded and Ethan threw himself at him and almost knocking them over. “Oh my God! That’s awesome!! When is it?”

“In a couple of days,” Danny replied, smiling and hugging Ethan. “On your birthday.”

Ethan’s jaw dropped and he stared at Danny in shock. “You’re taking me for my birthday?”

Danny nodded. “I am.”

“You’re amazing,” Ethan said, leaning in and giving Danny a kiss. “Really amazing.”

When his birthday arrived, Ethan was awoken by his phone. He poked his head out from under his covers and grabbed his phone off the floor, smiling when he saw Danny’s contact picture. He hit answer and hid under the covers again. “Hey, Danny.”

“Happy birthday,” Danny said. “Get your ass out of bed and bring your brother to the tattoo shop.”

“Why?”

“Can’t tell you why, just get here.”

“Okay, give us a half hour,” Ethan said. “It’s impossible to get Aiden up sometimes.”

“I’ll see you soon then, bye Ethan.”

“Bye, Danny.”

He hung up and threw his covers off before going over and hopping onto his twin’s bed. “Aiden! Aiden, wake up!”

Aiden groaned and pushed his brother away. “What do you want?”

“Well, I think our friends have a party planned for us,” Ethan said, tugging the blanket off of Aiden even as he tried to tug it back. “Danny just told me to bring you to the tattoo shop, so I’m thinking party.”

“But I’m sleepy.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t stay out so late then,” Ethan said. “Come on, get your ass up and ready. I told him we’d be there in half an hour.”

“You’re always so eager to see him.”

“Well, he’s my boyfriend,” Ethan said, getting up and finding some clothes in a pile on the floor. “Of course I’m going to be eager to see him. Now hurry up!”

As soon as they walked through the doors of the tattoo shop, some of the pack was shouting out ‘surprise!’ and on the front counter was a birthday cake. Danny came up to Ethan and pulled him in for a kiss. “Happy birthday, Ethan.”

Ethan smiled and kissed him back. “Thank you. We haven’t had a party in ages.”

Laura walked over and patted both of the twins on the shoulder. “And if either of you want a tattoo today, it’s on the house.”

“Hell yeah!” Aiden said, hopping into one of the seats. 

Ethan laughed. “Don’t you have enough?”

“You can never have enough,” Danny said, pulling Ethan into his arms and pressing a kiss to his cheek. “How about you? Do you want one today?”

Ethan thought for a moment before shaking his head. “No. I can’t think of one I want.” They sat down at Danny’s table as Laura handed out cake, Ethan digging in immediately. “Oh my God, this tastes amazing!”

“It should,” Laura said, ruffling his hair. “I made it.”

Danny pulled a present out of a drawer and set it down in front of Ethan. “I got you something else.”

“How many presents are you going to give me today?” 

“As many as I want,” Danny replied, leaning over and kissing him. “Open it.”

Ethan tore at the wrapping paper revealing a picture frame. He turned it over and gasped as he looked at a portrait of a wolf howling at the moon mixed with a portrait of himself. “Oh wow, Danny it’s beautiful.” He set it aside and pulled Danny in for a kiss. “How did I get so lucky?”

“Sometimes I wonder the same thing,” Danny said. They kissed again, forgetting where they were until there was a couple of whistles and the sound of Aiden pretending to puke. Danny pulled back with a blush on his face. Ethan smiled at him before flipping off his brother who was telling them to get a room.

Danny pulled another present out and tossed it towards Aiden. “Shut up or I’m taking it back.” 

Aiden opened the present and pulled out two braided bracelets, one with a white wolf charm and one with a black wolf. Aiden blinked a couple of times before looking over at Danny. “Did you make theses?”

Danny nodded. “Yeah. One is yours the other is your brother’s.”

Aiden looked between the bracelets before tossing the one with the white wolf to Ethan who caught it. “Danny this is awesome,” Ethan said, smiling and sliding it onto his wrist. He leaned in and gave Danny a kiss. “thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I hope you don’t expect a kiss from me.”

“You’re welcome too, Aiden.”

“You really are a cool guy, Danny,” Aiden said. “I’m glad you’re with my brother.”

Danny smiled. “I’m glad the two of you came to Beacon Hills.”

The others gave the twins gifts as well, even Scott who gave them both a new set of leather jackets. As the party began to wind down, Danny gave Ethan a nudge. “Hey, you should take your bike back and get ready for the concert. I’ll come pick you up.”

“Okay, see you soon,” Ethan said, giving him one last kiss. “Goodbye everyone and thank you!”

The concert was packed once Danny and Ethan arrived. They found a spot near the middle and Danny pulled Ethan back against his chest and wrapped his arms around his waist. “Excited?”

“Very,” Ethan replied, turning his head back for a kiss. “Thank you for doing this.”

Danny smiled. “I enjoy doing stuff like this and I enjoy being with you.”

The concert started shortly after and they swayed to the music as they sang along. Sometime during the middle of the concert Danny pulled Ethan flush against him and Ethan gasped as he felt something hard against his lower back. He turned his head and Danny gave him a kiss. “Sorry, I get kinda horny at concerts,” Danny said against Ethan’s lips, rubbing against Ethan and sliding his hands into Ethan’s front pockets. 

Ethan let out a soft moan and glanced at the people around them but they were all too focused on the stage. He turned back for another kiss and rubbed back against Danny, smiling when Danny moaned into their kiss. He wrapped his hand around the back of Danny’s neck and kissed him again, feeling one of Danny’s hands slip out of his pocket and rub him through his jeans.

“Danny…” Ethan groaned, grabbing the hand rubbing him. He was aching and wanted nothing more than for Danny to be touch him but he didn’t want to get caught. Someone bumped into Danny’s back and Danny moved his hands to Ethan’s waist, both of them flushed from arousal and embarrassment.

Ethan gave him one last kiss before turning back to the stage as the band started playing ‘Scared to Death.’ Ethan started to sing along, taking Danny’s hands and swaying a bit.

“You should come along when we have karaoke night,” Danny said, pressing a kiss to Ethan’s cheek. “You have a nice voice.”

Ethan laughed. “Only if you get up there with me.”

“I think I can handle that,” Danny said. “You and I can blow everyone else away with our beautiful voices.”

Ethan laughed again and turned his head for a kiss. “I think I’m falling in love with you,” He confessed, reaching up and caressing Danny’s cheek. Danny’s heart skipped a beat and he stood there silent for a moment before he was diving in for another kiss. Ethan moaned softly, forgetting about the other people around them until the song ended and people started to cheer. 

“I think I am too,” Danny whispered in Ethan’s ear as the next song began. 

On the way back to Ethan’s apartment after the concert, Danny was blasting the newest H.I.M CD both of them singing along. Once they arrived, Danny turned off the car and walked him up. “You shouldn’t be in here,” Ethan said. “This isn’t a good place.”

“Yeah, but my boyfriend lives here so I’m going to be here,” Danny said pushing Ethan against the front door and kissing him. 

Ethan moaned softly and wrapped his arms around Danny’s neck, kissing him back. “Don’t you need to be at the shop early?”

“I do,” Danny said. “But I’m not ready for the night to be over yet.” He gave Ethan another kiss, his hand rubbing Ethan through his jeans making him gasp. “Can I come inside?”

Ethan froze and looked up at Danny. “You don’t want to come in. You wouldn’t like it.”

“You don’t know that,” Danny said. He pressed another kiss to Ethan’s lips. “Please?”

It took a few seconds for Ethan to nod and grab his keys out. “Okay.”

Ethan was nervous as he opened the door to let Danny in. Danny looked around noticing the lack of furniture in the front room. There was a bean bag and an old beaten up armchair in the front room and the TV was sitting on a couple of milk crates. There wasn’t a table or anything in the dining room and the kitchen looked like at one time there had been a fire in it. 

Danny turned to face Ethan who wasn’t even looking up at him. He reached out and gently lifted Ethan’s chin giving him a kiss. “Show me your room.”

Ethan led him down the hall and opened the door to reveal two mattresses lying on the floor and only one dresser in between them. Danny didn’t say anything. He just wrapped his arms around Ethan and pressed a kiss to his neck. “Which one is yours?”

“The one on the right,” Ethan replied, moaning as Danny’s hand moved down his chest. Ethan turned around to face Danny. “You’re not disgusted by this place?”

“I don’t care about that. I care about you.”

Danny took his own shirt off before pulling Ethan in for another kiss, his hands working on getting Ethan’s pants undone. Once he got Ethan naked, he smiled and dropped to his knees taking Ethan’s cock into his mouth. Ethan groaned and ran his fingers through Danny’s hair. 

Danny teased him for a few minutes before pulled his mouth off and replacing it with his hand. He pressed a couple kisses to Ethan’s thigh. “Will you let me fuck you?” Danny asked, gently nipping at Ethan’s skin and making him laugh.

“Yes,” Ethan said. “You can fuck me.”

“Go lay down.”

Ethan laid down and Danny crawled over to him. He took the rest of his clothes off before lying over Ethan and kissing him. “Lube?” Ethan reached under his mattress and pulled out a small bottle, handing it over. Danny smiled and gave him a kiss before pouring a generous amount onto his fingers. Ethan spread his legs and Danny traced a finger around Ethan’s hole. “How long has it been for you?”

“A year.”

Danny nodded and leaned down for a kiss. “I’ll take my time.” His finger slipped inside and Ethan groaned softly, wrapping a hand around the back of Danny’s neck and bringing him in for another kiss. Danny trailed his lips along Ethan’s neck. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, adding another finger and finding the spot that had Ethan shouting and fucking back against his fingers. He sat back to watch as Ethan writhed and moaned under him, smiling when Ethan opened his eyes to look at him. 

Danny moved his free hand up Ethan’s chest and traced his lips with his thumb. Ethan opened his mouth and sucked on it, making Danny groan. “I don’t want wait anymore,” Ethan said. 

“Are you sure?”

Ethan nodded. “I’m sure. I’ve waited for this long enough Danny, please.”

Danny pulled his fingers out and grabbed his pants pulling a condom out of his wallet. Danny was about to tear open the package when a hand wrapped around his cock and traced his piercing. He looked down at Ethan to see him looking at it with a smile. “You changed it.”

It wasn’t the bar he normally had in, this time it was a hoop. He groaned as Ethan continued to touch him. “You’ll feel it better.”

“Me?” Ethan asked, looking up at him.

Danny nodded and pushed Ethan’s hand away to roll the condom on. He leaned over Ethan and kissed him as he slowly started pressed inside of him, stopping when Ethan gasped. “Oh!”

Danny smiled. “This one isn’t just for me. It’s for you too.”

Ethan wrapped his arms around Danny and pulled him down for another kiss. “Fuck me, I want to feel it.” Danny thrust all the way inside and Ethan moaned his back arching. “Oh yeah, that’s good.”

Danny smiled. “Just as amazing as you thought it would be?”

“Well, we aren’t done yet,” Ethan said with a laugh.

Danny laughed and slowly started to thrust. He leaned down and gave Ethan a kiss before he was trailing his lips down Ethan’s neck before picking a spot and sucking a mark onto his skin. Ethan moaned, his fingers biting into Danny’s shoulders. “Oh my God,” He moaned in Danny’s ear as Danny started to thrust a faster. “Oh my God!” 

Danny gently nipped at Ethan’s ear one hand gripping Ethan’s hip as he changed the angle slightly. “Feel good?” Danny asked and Ethan moaned in response. Danny smiled and gave him another kiss, fucking him harder. Ethan gave another moan, nails clawing down Danny’s back. 

Neither of them was going to last long and Danny could tell by the way Ethan was moaning. His fingers bit into Danny’s skin, moans getting louder and louder. Danny wrapped a hand around Ethan’s cock, slowly stroking him and making Ethan gasp. He opened his eyes and looked up at Danny, pleading with his eyes. 

“D-Danny,” Ethan whimpered and Danny kissed him again. “Danny, I’m not going to last.”

“I know. I’m not going to either,” Danny moaned, feeling the familiar heat pooling. He crushed their lips together and fucked him faster and faster, Ethan whimpering into their kisses. “Come for me,” Danny said, stroking Ethan faster. “Come for me, Ethan. Let me see you fall apart.”

Ethan cried out, his body arching as he spilled over his chest and Danny’s hand. “Danny! Fuck!” Danny stroked him through it and kissed him, his thrust never stopping. Ethan cupped Danny’s face and looked into his eyes. “Your turn.”

Danny let go of Ethan’s cock and gripped his hips. Ethan eyes never left Danny’s face as he pounded into him until he shuddered and came with Ethan’s name on his lips. He crushed their lips together again as he collapsed over Ethan. Ethan grunted softly but made no move to push Danny off of him.

They kissed for a few minutes before Danny slowly pulled out and took the condom off. He started to get up but Ethan’s hand on his wrist stopped him. Danny smiled and leaned down for a kiss. “I’ll be right back.” 

After he threw the condom out, he came back to see Ethan had cleaned his chest off and was lying on his side looking pleased and relaxed. Danny crawled under the covers behind him and wrapped his arms around him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “That was pretty amazing.”

Ethan nodded. “Yeah, it was.”

“Glad you let me in here?”

Ethan was silent for a moment. “I’m sorry for that week you didn’t hear from me. Things-things were tight and I was fighting with Aiden. I should have texted you or something I was just-I was ashamed.”

Danny ran his fingers through Ethan’s hair. “How did you run out of money?”

“We never had much to begin with,” Ethan answered. “We did with our old gang but we lost most of it before we even came here. This was the only place that was cheap and would take us. God, my life is so fucked up. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Danny said. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“Those tattoos we got when we first met you guys, we didn’t really have the money for them,” Ethan said. “You must think we’re idiots for getting tattoos we couldn’t even afford.”

“No, I don’t,” Danny said, pressing a kiss to Ethan’s cheek as his fingers ran over the tattoo he did. “I think you and your brother needed a new start and you wanted to do something for yourselves. I don’t think you’re an idiot for that.” He moved his hand up and turned Ethan’s face towards him and gave him a kiss. “I love you.”

Danny moved Ethan onto his back and climbed over him, giving him another kiss. Ethan moaned, wrapping his arms around him. “Danny.” Danny kissed along his neck, his renewed arousal brushing against Ethan’s stomach. “I love you too.”

Danny shifted so their cocks were aligned and wrapped a hand around both of them. Ethan gasped and bucked into the touch, his fingers digging into Danny’s shoulders. Danny took his time to bring them to release, slowing his pace whenever Ethan got too close coming. 

As he came down from his second orgasm of the night, Ethan decided right then that he was never going to love another man. They fell asleep in each other’s arms and Ethan slept peacefully for the first time in months. 

He awoke the next morning to kisses being placed along his neck and shoulder as a hand drew shapes on his lower belly. Ethan moaned softly and turned his head back for a kiss. 

“You have to be quiet,” Danny whispered. “Your brother is home.”

“I can be quiet,” Ethan said, biting his lips as Danny wrapped a hand around his cock. Danny kissed him and shifted closer. “Mmm…morning sex. I think I’ll keep you.”

Danny quietly laughed and quickly brought them off. They shared a shower afterwards before making coffee and sharing the armchair, Danny sitting on Ethan’s lap. Ethan wrapped an arm around Danny’s waist and pressed a kiss to his shoulder as he watched Aiden flip through the channels. It was peaceful and Ethan felt content. It was feeling he never wanted to go away. 

“I called Derek and he’s covering my shift at the shop,” Danny said, turning his head back and smiling at Ethan. “I thought maybe you and I could hang today.”

Ethan nodded. “We could try that new Italian place that opened up.”

“Yeah, I’d like that.”


	5. Chapter 5

Ethan sat on the window ledge of his empty apartment, puffing on a cigarette as he watched the people walk about. He should have known that the happiness that he had been feeling wouldn’t last. He glanced down at his phone praying for a text from Aiden telling him where he was, or a text from Danny asking him to talk but there was nothing. It had been silent for weeks. Ethan crushed out his cigarette and stood up thinking about his recent break up. 

_Ethan had just come out of the bathroom to see Danny was sitting in the arm chair and staring down at a bag of something in his lap. “Whatcha got there?” Danny looked up and Ethan took a step back at the look of pain and betrayal in his boyfriend’s eyes. “Danny?”_

_“You want to fucking explain this to me?” Danny asked, standing up and shoving a bag of white powder in Ethan’s face. “Why the fuck is this here?”_

_“It’s not mine,” Ethan said. He grabbed it from Danny’s hands. “Danny, I swear it’s not mine.”_

_“It was you, wasn’t it?” Danny asked. “God, I should have known the moment Jackson told me to be careful. You were his fucking drug dealer weren’t you?” Danny roughly shoved Ethan, tears falling down his face. “Weren’t you?!”_

_“Danny I-I don’t do that anymore!”_

_“Then why are there fucking drugs in your apartment?” Danny screamed. “Or are you just taking them now?”_

_“I haven’t touched drugs since we left our old gang,” Ethan said, his heart breaking as the way Danny was looking at him, like he was some sick, disgusting creature that didn’t deserve to be alive. “Danny, I swear I haven’t.”_

_“Then why are they here?”_

_“I-I don’t know.”_

_Danny shook his head and turned away from Ethan, grabbing his things and heading towards the door. “I don’t date addicts,” Danny snarled before slamming the door as he walked out, leaving Ethan to sink to the floor as tears streamed down his face._

Ethan walked past the bean bag chair that Aiden normally occupied. He didn’t just lose Danny that night, his anger and heartbreak had caused him to lose his brother as well and he hadn’t heard back from him since.

_“You promised me you would clean up months ago!” Ethan yelled, shoving his brother. “You fucking promised me!”_

_“Ethan, I’ve been trying,” Aiden said, trying to step closer. “It’s not that easy.”_

_“Not that easy? I haven’t touched drugs since we’ve gotten here,” Ethan growled, pushing his brother away again. “I cut drugs out of my life, and I thought you had done the same. I thought we were starting over.”_

_Aiden bowed his head. “I’m sorry, E. I’m sorry. I’ve been trying so hard, I just can’t.”_

_“Then you can get the fuck out of this apartment before you drag me down as well.”_

_Aiden looked up, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. “E, no. No you can’t do this to me. I’m your brother.”_

_“You should have thought about that before you decided to keep shooting up,” Ethan screamed, throwing the drugs at his brother. “Get the fuck out of here, Aiden! Get out!”_

Ethan took a deep breath before walking through the doors of the tattoo shop. He got a couple of not so nice looks from the pack and Danny didn’t even acknowledge him. It hurt and Ethan tried to hide the fact that it did.

“Got an appointment?” Lydia asked, typing a text on her phone and not looking up.

“No, I don’t. I just-I need to know if anyone’s seen Aiden,” Ethan said, his voice cracking.

Lydia paused for a moment before going back to her text. “Nope.”

Ethan closed his eyes and gripped the edge of the desk, taking a deep breath. He risked a glance at Danny who had stopped doodling before looking at Lydia again. “If you see him, please let me know. I-I’m worried about him.” 

“Worried about your drug money?” Lydia asked, looking up at him. “You are not welcome here anymore Ethan, get out.”

Ethan shook his head and walked out the door. He got on his bike and rode to work no longer surprised when he didn’t see Aiden’s bike. Boyd looked up and waved from under the hood of the car he was working on. “We got three new cars in this morning, go talk to Erica and she’ll get you started.”

“Thanks, Boyd.”

He was shocked to learn he and Aiden still had jobs after the break up and ended up not showing up to work for a few days which resulted in Erica coming over to his apartment and dragging him to work. As he walked through the garage he saw Erica typing something up. “Hey, any sign of Aiden?”

Erica shook her head. “I’m sorry.”

Ethan sighed. “Well, how about I get started. Which one do you want me to work on first?”

He was in the middle of fixing the transmission on a truck when Scott appeared in the shop and walked up to him. Ethan was shocked to see him there and wiped his hands on his jeans as he stood up. “Scott.”

“Hey, Ethan.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I was wondering if you had any contact with Aiden yet.”

“Why do you care?” Ethan asked, folding his arms over his chest and leaning against the truck. “I’m not pack, the rest of them made that perfectly clear to me.”

“And I believe in second chances,” Scott said. “I want to help you find your brother.” Scott reached out and placed his hand on Ethan’s shoulder. “Not everyone hates you Ethan. I want to help you find him.”

Ethan looked up. “He’s been using. Possibly the whole time we’ve been here and I had no fucking clue. I think that’s what he’s out there doing.”

Scott nodded. “We’ll find him. My best friend’s dad is the sheriff, we’ll find him.”

“Thank you.”

Jackson and Danny were walking through the park one night after going to see a movie together. Jackson had wanted to help Danny take his mind off Ethan so he took him out for dinner and a movie. Now they were just walking and talking about the new charity project Scott wanted the pack to help with. 

They were halfway through the park when Danny stopped in his tracks after seeing a familiar figure shivering on a bench. “Jackson.”

Jackson stopped walking and turned around as Danny took off towards the figure. “Danny! What are you doing?” He ran over as Danny took his coat off and threw it over the person. “Danny!”

“It’s Aiden,” Danny said, looking up at Jackson for a moment before back down at the twin. He cupped Aiden’s face. “Aiden? Hey look at me. Look at me Aiden.”

“Danny, I think he’s overdosed,” Jackson said, taking Aiden’s wrist and checking his pulse. “It’s weak. We need to get him to a hospital.” Jackson pushed Danny aside and picked Aiden up bridal style. “the hospital is only a few blocks away.”

They ran towards the hospital, Danny yelling once they were through the doors. “Help! We need help!”

The nurses took Aiden away and Danny collapsed onto a chair in the waiting room after they refused to let them back. “We need to call Ethan,” Jackson said, sitting down and wrapping an arm around his friend’s waist. “He’ll want to know we found them.”

Danny nodded and pulled out his phone feeling numb. It wasn’t even a half an hour later when Ethan came bursting through the doors. “Where is he?” Ethan asked, looking frantic. “Is he okay? What happened?”

Danny looked up but found he couldn’t speak. He had been in this situation before with Jackson and he kept having flashbacks. Jackson hugged him tighter to him before speaking. “We don’t know, no one will tell us anything.”

“What happened to him?”

“We found him,” Danny said, his voice cracking. “He was passed out on a park bench and we brought him here. I’m sorry, Ethan. I’m so sorry.”

Ethan shook his head and collapsed in a chair holding his face in his hands. There was a considerable distance between them and even though they weren’t together, Danny moved over to Ethan’s side and wrapped and arm around his waist. “He’ll be okay, Ethan.”

Ethan pushed Danny away. “I just want to be left alone right now.”

Danny felt hurt at being pushed away but he went and sat over by Jackson again and rested his head on Jackson’s shoulder. It was well over an hour before they got any news. “Mr. Price?”

Ethan looked up. “Y-yeah?”

“Your brother is stable now,” The doctor said. “He’s asleep but you may come in and see him.”

Ethan jumped up and followed the doctor into the back. Aiden was hooked up to an iv drip and he looked absolutely terrible. Ethan was at his side immediately, taking his cold hand. “Aiden. Oh God, Aiden. I should have been there. I should have fucking been there.” He cupped his brother’s face with his other hand, tears falling. “Please don’t leave me, Aiden. I can’t lose you.”

He ended up falling asleep curled around his brother which was how Scott found him the following morning. He gently shook Ethan’s shoulder to wake him. “Hey.”

Ethan opened his eyes. “You’re not family, how did you get in here?”

“My mom’s a nurse. How is he?”

“Stable,” Ethan replied. “But he hasn’t woken up yet. The overdose it put-it put him in a coma.”

Scott pulled up a chair and took Aiden’s other hand. “Danny was asleep in the waiting room when I got here.”

Ethan blinked a couple times. “He-he stayed?”

Scott nodded. “I made him go home, he was worried though. I think you should call him and let him know everything that’s going on.”

“I’m going to focus on my brother right now,” Ethan said, wiping at his eyes. “He needs me more.”

“Will you let me tell them?”

“Tell who?”

“The pack, they want to know.”

“I thought they didn’t care?”

“They care, Ethan. They were just angry.”

Ethan was silent for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, you can tell them.” He snuggled closer to his brother and rested his head on Aiden’s shoulder. “I shouldn’t have kicked him out. He needed me and I wasn’t even there. I was-I was just so upset about everything that I told him to go. I-I regret that now.”

“He will be okay,” Scott said. “I promise you that he will be okay.” Scott let go of Aiden’s hand and reached over to pat Ethan on the shoulder. “You look like you could use some food and a nice hot shower.”

“I can’t leave him.”

“He’ll be okay. He will still be here when you get back.”

Ethan shook his head. “I don’t want him to wake up alone.”

“Okay,” Scott said. “Then I will go get us some food. I’ll be right back.”

When Scott returned carrying a sandwich and a pop for both of them, Ethan had moved to one of the chairs with his hand in his brother’s. Scott handed him food and sat down on the other side. “My mom was one of the nurses in here last night. She said they almost lost him.”

“His heart stopped twice,” Ethan said, looking at Aiden’s face. His color was starting to return but he was still fast asleep. “I don’t know what I’m going to do when he wakes up. We don’t have the money for rehab.”

“We can help.”

“Scott-“

“Aiden isn’t the first person we knew that was on drugs,” Scott said. “We can help.”

“What do you want in return?”

Scott shook his head. “Nothing. I’m doing this because you are my friend and I help my friends out when they need me.”

Ethan wanted to cry all over again. “Thank you.”

It was two days before Aiden woke up from his coma. Ethan felt his brother’s hand move under his and his eyes flew open and he lifted his head to see Aiden blinking his eyes open. “Aiden,” Ethan said, standing up and leaning over his brother to press their foreheads together. “You’re awake. You’re finally awake.”

“What happened?” Aiden asked, his voice groggy and quiet. 

Ethan pulled away to make him a cup of water. He helped his brother up and put the cup against his lips. “You overdosed,” Ethan said after Aiden had finished the cup. “and it sent you into a coma. You’ve been asleep for three days.”

Aiden stared up at Ethan blinking. “I-I did?”

Ethan nodded and wiped at his eyes. “Yeah, but you’re okay now. You’re going to be okay.” Ethan took a deep breath and stepped away from the bed. “I’m going to let them know that you’re awake. I’ll be right back, Aiden.”

Aiden remained quiet most of the night before Melissa came in and told Ethan visiting hours were over and to go home and get a shower. “You can come visit him again first thing tomorrow,” She said, giving Ethan’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. 

Ethan gave his brother a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be back tomorrow. I love you, Aiden.”

Aiden gave him a sad smile and hugged him back with what little strength he had. “Till tomorrow.”

Ethan didn’t sleep much that night. He tossed and turned in bed until he finally got up around two in the morning. He sat in the window sill and smoked, staring up at the moon. He couldn’t help but think of Danny as he looked up at it and wondered what the other man was doing at that moment. He wondered if maybe Danny was thinking about him.

He returned to the hospital shortly before visitation hours began, freshly showered and two cups of coffee in his hands. Melissa was at the nurse’s station when he arrived and she let him back. “He still might be asleep.”

“Can he have coffee?”

“If he’s up for it,” Melissa replied, opening the door to Aiden’s room. “Don’t stress him out too much.”

“I won’t.”

When Ethan walked in, Aiden was lying on his side away from the door. “Hey, I brought you some coffee.”

Aiden looked over his shoulder. “Help me up?”

Ethan nodded and helped him sit up. “Still don’t have much strength?”

“It’s slowly coming back,” Aiden replied, reaching for the coffee. He took a couple of sips and sighed. “This is so good. Thank you, Ethan.”

“Only the best for my brother,” Ethan said, reaching out and lightly bumping Aiden’s shoulder. “You’re looking a lot better.”

“I still feel like shit. Do you know when I get to go home? Nobody will tell me anything.”

Ethan looked away and sipped on his coffee. “I don’t know. You need to focus on getting better.” He watched as Aiden’s hand shook and his twin tried to hide it. They told him Aiden would suffer through withdrawal when he woke up and there would be a lot of behavioral changes. 

He stayed with Aiden until visitation was over and a nurse not as friendly as Melissa kicked him out. He promised to return the next day but Aiden didn’t say anything, he just slipped under his blankets and turned away from the door. 

The next day, Ethan could hear screaming from the direction of Aiden’s room as he walked down the hallway. He didn’t come to visit until after his shift at the shop, not wanting to take too much time off. As he got closer, he could recognize his twin’s voice. 

“Get the fuck away from me, you dumb bitch!” 

Ethan ran into the room to see Aiden was fighting with a couple of nurses. “What are you doing to him?” He ran over and pushed the nurses away. Aiden shoved at him when he got too close and Ethan stumbled back. “Aiden!”

Aiden growled at him. “You can fuck off too.”

“Aiden stop!” Ethan yelled stepping forward again and pushing him down onto the bed by his shoulders. Out of the corner of his eye he watched a nurse filled a syringe with what Ethan hoped was a sedative. “Aiden, calm down!”

“Fuck you!” Aiden screamed, struggling against Ethan’s hold. “Fuck you!”

The nurse managed to stick the needle in Aiden’s arm and it didn’t take long before Aiden went limp. Ethan let go of him and stepped back. “What happened?”

“Withdrawal is starting to kick in.” 

“Is it going to get worse?” 

“Yes.”

Ethan looked down at his sleeping brother and ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m so sorry, Aiden.”

As the days passed, Aiden became more and more aggressive. It killed Ethan to see his brother like that and had picked up chain smoking to stop his anxiety from taking over. There were no good days, Aiden was either sedated or screaming at him. 

The day Aiden punched him, Ethan ended up burning himself for the first time. He was sitting in the window sill, pressing his fingers against the bruise on his cheek and staring at the glowing embers of his cigarette. He didn’t think about it, he just pushed his sleeve up and stuck the glowing end into his arm. He gasped as pain spiked through him, tears forming in his eyes. 

Afterwards, he chucked the butt out the window and pulled his sleeve down so he didn’t have to see what he did to himself. It became a ritual after that, burning himself with his cigarettes after he had gone to see his brother. He ended up wearing long sleeves to hide it even in the auto shop. 

He was working under the hood of a car one day when there was a knock on the side. He sighed and stood up straight to see Lydia standing there. He blinked a couple of times before grabbing a towel and wiping the sweat and oil off his face. “What are you doing here?”

“I came here to see you,” Lydia replied. “can we talk?”

Ethan nodded and shut the hood of the car. “Yeah.” He sat down on the hood and looked up at her. “What do you need?”

“I want to say I’m sorry,” Lydia replied. “We are all sorry.”

Ethan was silent for a moment, his fingers pressing into his arm where his burns were. “I asked for help and I got nothing,” Ethan said. “My brother almost died on the streets and the only person who gave a shit was Scott. So tell me, why should I accept your apology? Why should I forgive the people who cast me away the moment they learned that I used to be a drug dealer and that my brother was addicted to drugs? You call yourself a pack, yet you treat people like trash for the dumb decisions they made in their past. If I can’t trust you guys to be there for my brother and I, then I’m not forgiving you.”

Lydia bowed her head. “You’re right. We messed up but we almost lost Jackson to the very same thing that almost took your brother. Then we find out you were his dealers? How were we supposed to react?”

“You talk to someone,” Ethan said. “I gave up drugs the moment I left my old gang. I haven’t touched them once, nor have I dealt them to anyone since then. I didn’t know Aiden was still addicted and now-now he’s in a hospital going through withdrawals. I have to sit there and listen to my brother scream at me that he hates me. I’m sorry about what happened to Jackson and I wished we made better decisions, but shit happens. I never claimed to be a good person. In fact I told Danny..” Ethan’s voice cracked and he paused for a moment. “I told Danny I wasn’t a good person. We should have never gone into that shop.”

“Ethan-“

“Just leave Lydia,” Ethan said, standing up and opening up the hood once more. “I have nothing left to say.”

“I’m sorry,” She whispered a few minutes later before she left. Once she was out of sight, Ethan broke down, wiping the tears from his eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

Danny stroked the brush across the canvas singing along to the music currently blasting from the radio in the room Jackson let him turn into his art space. He was covered in paint; more paint on him them on the canvas before him. A silver moon was on the canvas with a black wolf with bright blues eyes howling up at it. The wolf was sad, mourning the loss of something Danny didn’t know yet. 

He continued to paint, losing himself in his work. He didn’t notice anyone else was in the room until the music was shut off. “You’re up late.”

Danny almost dropped the brush as he whirled around to face Jackson. “Jesus, Jackson you fucking scared me.”

Jackson walked over to the canvas and looked at it. “It’s beautiful.”

“It’s still a work in progress.”

Jackson looked around the rest of the room where there were other unfinished projects, almost all of them involving wolves. “You’ve been locking yourself in here a lot lately.”

“It’s to keep my mind off of things.”

“You were in here before that.”

“I got inspired.”

Jackson walked over to a painting of the moon and shadowy figure of a wolf inside of it. “It’s him, isn’t it? He’s become your inspiration.”

“He was my inspiration,” Danny said, dropping his paintbrush in a cup of water and sighing. “But like all things do, it left me.”

“But you’re finding it again.”

Danny shrugged. “Maybe.”

Jackson turned around to face his friend. “Did you love him?”

Danny blinked a couple of times. “What?”

“Did you love him?”

Danny sighed. “I think I did, but it’s over now.” He walked over to an unfinished portrait of Ethan hanging up, he reached up and started to tear it down but Jackson wrapped an arm around his wrist stopping him. “Jackson?

“I know I said I didn’t like him, but he made you happy,” Jackson said, he let go of Danny’s wrist and put the portrait back up. “You should finish this one, it’s nice.” He gave Danny a smile before walking out of the room. Danny watched him leave before looking back up at the painting. He shook his head and started to put his painting supplies away before taking a shower. 

He arrived at the shop early the next day and helped Cora open up. “You look like shit.”

Danny sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “I stayed up late painting.”

“Got your inspiration back?”

“I don’t think so,” Danny said. “Everything ends up unfinished.”

Cora nodded as she flipped through the schedule book. “Lydia went to go see Ethan yesterday. To apologize.”

“So?”

Cora looked up at him. “Thought you’d like to know how he’s doing.”

“We broke up.”

“Lydia said he’s a mess,” Cora said. “And she says he seems lonely. I don’t think he’s dealing so well with everything that’s going on.”

Danny turned away from Cora. “It’s tough watching someone you love going through that.”

“Lydia was thinking of going up to the hospital to see Aiden,” Cora said. “Maybe you should join us.”

“I’ll think about it.”

During his break, Danny went down to the coffee shop and sat near the window watching the people pass by. His heart ached in his chest as he thought about his ex-boyfriend and everything Ethan was going through. He had to face that with Jackson, but he wasn’t alone through it. He had his pack and Ethan had no one. It made Danny feel even worse for leaving the way he did.

He called work and asked for the rest of the day off. It had been a mostly slow day and he already did the only appointments he had. Afterwards, he drove to the store. He and Jackson needed groceries anyways. 

As he was about to walk through the doors, someone came out and slammed into him their groceries dropping everywhere. “Fuck!” Danny blinked a couple times as Ethan knelt down and scrambled to pick everything up. Danny bent down as well to help, Ethan stopping the moment he saw Danny’s tattoos. He looked up at him. “Danny?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to run into you.”

“It was my fault,” Ethan said, looking away and tugging his sleeves down. “I should have been looking at where I was going.” He picked up a pack of cigarettes and slid them into his pocket. “sorry.”

“You don’t smoke.”

“Yeah, well people change,” Ethan said, shoving the rest of his stuff into the bags and standing up. “I have to go.”

“Wait,” Danny said, turning around and placing his hand on Ethan’s shoulder. “I’ve been through this before, I could help you.”

Ethan laughed and shrugged off Danny’s hand. “I’m sorry, but I need people I can actually rely on and who I know won’t leave me.” Danny stood there in shock as Ethan walked away before taking a deep breath and walking into the store thinking, ‘I deserved that.’ 

A few days later, Danny stopped by the hospital with a vase of flowers. Melissa led him back to Aiden’s room where the twin was currently asleep. He set the flowers near the window before turning around to see Aiden blinking his eyes open. “Danny?”

“Hey,” Danny smiled, taking a seat next to Aiden’s bed. “How are you?”

Aiden sat up and sighed. “I’m dying for a smoke but they won’t let me out of this fucking room. What are you doing here? I thought you left Ethan.”

Danny looked down at the floor. “I-I did.”

“You don’t sound very happy about it.”

“I assumed things and didn’t talk to him first,” Danny replied, looking up at Aiden and noticing the other man was shaking. “Do you know when you’re going home?”

Aiden’s eyes darkened and he turned away, tossing off his blanket. “I’m not.”

“They can’t keep you here.”

“Ethan can. I don’t even think I have a home to go to.”

“I heard Ethan is here every day. You’ll have a home to go too,” Danny said. “Your brother loves you.”

“I don’t want to talk anymore.”

“Do you want me to leave?”

Aiden was quiet and Danny nodded. He stood up and gave Aiden’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Get better soon, Aiden.” He gave the twin a kiss on the cheek. “Goodbye.”

As he walked down the halls to leave, he nearly ran into Ethan again. Ethan stood there in shock. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to see how Aiden was doing,” Danny replied hating how much space was between them. All he wanted was to reach out and take Ethan’s hand. “I needed to get back to the shop, maybe you and I can have lunch. I think-I think we have things we need to talk about.”

Ethan was quiet for a moment before nodding. “Okay. I’ll meet you at the diner around noon tomorrow.”

Danny was nervous and arrived at the diner early the next day. He took a seat near the window and ordered a drink as he waited for Ethan. When Ethan arrived and sat down across for him, Danny noticed for the first time how terrible the other man looked. There were dark circles under his eyes and he was starting to get a little scruffy. He resisted the urge to reach out and touch. “Hey.”

“Hey, did you order yet?”

Danny shook his head and motioned for a waiter. “Just a drink, I was waiting for you.”

They ordered their food and Ethan remained silent, looking out the window. “How’s Aiden?” Danny asked, trying to make conversation. “Is he doing better?”

Ethan shrugged. “He sleeps a lot, and when he’s not sleeping he’s yelling. His body hasn’t kicked it yet.” He was tugging at the end of his sleeves and not really looking at Danny. “I don’t know when he’ll get better or if he ever will.”

“I’m sorry, Ethan.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Ethan said with a sigh. “You’re not the one who told him to get out.” Ethan started to tap on the table, his leg shaking. “Do you mind if I step out for a moment? I need a smoke.”

Danny nodded. “Yeah, go ahead.” He watched Ethan leave and sighed, slouching in his chair. Ethan came back just as their food was arriving and immediately dug in. “Hungry?” 

“I haven’t eaten since last night. I was running late to work this morning cause I forgot to set my alarm,” Ethan answered. “I was at the hospital late with Aiden.”

“I know it’s stressful right now, but don’t forget to take some time for yourself,” Danny said. “I nearly ran myself into the ground when I was dealing with Jackson’s recovery. I wasn’t a pretty sight.”

“Somehow I find that hard to believe.”

Danny started to laugh and Ethan smiled. At that moment, it felt like the breakup didn’t even happen. “Seriously, take some time for yourself. Treat yourself to a movie or something.”

“If I had the money I would. I’m still kind of broke.”

“Maybe we could go see a movie together?”

“I don’t know.”

“Ethan, I don’t want things to be bitter between us,” Danny said. “I still care about you and I want to be there to help you through this. Even if we’re only friends.”

“You want to start over?”

Danny nodded and reached his hand out. “Hi, I’m Danny.”

Ethan cracked a smile and took Danny’s hand. “Ethan.”

“Well Ethan, how about you and I go to lunch again tomorrow? Same time, same place?”

It took Ethan a moment but he nodded. “I think I’d like that.”

It was easy to fall into a routine after that. Ethan would come over to the shop every couple of days to take Danny to lunch and he started to talk more to the rest of the pack members. While it hurt what they did to him, he understood after Danny explained the troubles they went through with Jackson. 

“You look happier,” Aiden commented as he and Ethan sat outside smoking. They started letting him out of his hospital room and Ethan snuck in cigarettes for them. “Well, better. Are you and Danny back together?”

Ethan shook his head as he blew out some smoke. “We’re-“ Ethan paused for a moment. “Friends.”

“Just friends?”

Ethan took one last drag before flicking the butt away. “The docs say you can come home soon.”

“Is it still my home?”

Ethan turned towards his brother, remembering the words he screamed that night. He wrapped his arms around him and hugged him tight. “Of course it is. I was just angry that night but it’s our apartment.” He pulled back and pressed his lips to Aiden’s forehead. “I can’t wait till you’re home. It’s lonely being the only person there.”

Aiden smiled. “I miss being home. I miss working. I kinda miss everything.”

Ethan laughed. “You’ll be home soon.”

“And you and Danny will be back together,” Aiden said. He took a long drag and sighed. “I don’t see you two being apart for long. I never saw a real smile from you until he came into your life.”

“We’ll see.”

Ethan got a text late one night asking him to come out to the tattoo shop to help Danny close. The Hales were all at a tattoo convention in the next town and wouldn’t be back for a few days leaving the shop to Danny and Lydia, the later having gone home because she wasn’t feeling well. He arrived and knocked on the door and Danny immediately answered. “Thank you so much for coming,” Danny said, closing and locking the door after Ethan got inside. “Everyone else is not answering their phones and this is a big fucking shop.”

“What do you need me to do?”

“Can you sanitize everything while I count stock?” Danny asked, grabbing a clipboard off the front desk. “I really am sorry for calling you out here so late. I just-I didn’t have anyone else.”

“It’s cool,” Ethan said. “Sanitizer in the back?”

Danny nodded. “Big pink bottle, just wipe everything down. Wear gloves when you’re doing it too. Thank you, Ethan.”

“You’re welcome.”

It was past midnight before everything was done and Danny collapsed in a chair. “I really am sorry for dragging you out here to help me. You can go home now.”

“I don’t have to work tomorrow,” Ethan said, taking the seat across from Danny. “And I’m awake now.”

“They should have closed the shop,” Danny said, looking through the schedule book for tomorrow. “Cora said she might come back early from the convention so I should have a little extra help, and Erica knows how to tattoo. She helped out for a bit today, but she and Boyd had a family dinner to go to so she couldn’t stay.”

“If I knew how, I would have helped.”

“Want to learn?” Danny asked. “I could teach you.”

“Maybe some other time when you’re not so tired.”

Danny smiled. “I think I’m gonna call them tomorrow and let them know I’m closing the shop. I need a break.”

“Why did they keep it open?”

Danny shrugged and shifted in the chair, bringing his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. “With the convention, we weren’t going to be too busy so they thought that Erica, Lydia and I could handle it. Plus, we didn’t open till noon and closed at eight. I agreed to it too because they didn’t want to actually close the shop.”

Ethan reached out and touched Danny’s knee. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

They were silent for a moment, Ethan’s fingers tracing the Hawaiian design wrapped around Danny’s leg, slowly moving up to trace others. Ethan didn’t realize what he was doing until Danny’s hand wrapped around his wrist, stopping him. 

Ethan looked up at Danny, his heart racing as those dark eyes looked at him. Danny’s legs slid to the floor and he moved the chair closer to Ethan. Danny let go of Ethan’s wrist and cupped his face, gently caressing his cheek with his thumb. His heart pounded faster in his chest as they stared at one another. 

Slowly, Danny leaned in stopping when they were only inches apart to give Ethan time to back out. When he didn’t move, Danny closed the distance between them. It was a chaste kiss and over too soon. Ethan opened his eyes as Danny pulled away. His mind was swimming and he couldn’t focus. Danny seemed embarrassed and was looking away from Ethan and playing with his lip piercing.

Ethan couldn’t help himself and pulled Danny forward by the front of his shirt and into another kiss. Danny groaned softly as Ethan wrapped his arms around him and deepened the kiss. Danny got onto Ethan’s lap. Ethan’s hands slipped under Danny’s shirt, moving along his back as he broke their kiss and trailed his lips along Danny’s neck. 

“Ethan..” He whimpered and Ethan groaned. It felt like ages since he last heard Danny like this, since he got to touch him and kiss him. 

Danny was suddenly out of his lap and Ethan briefly wondered if he did something wrong until he saw Danny’s hands go to his belt. Danny’s shorts fell to the ground, his boxers following shortly after. Ethan sat there stunned as Danny walked over and straddled his lap. The artist cupped his face and kissed him. Ethan couldn’t help but kiss back wrapping his arms around Danny’s waist.

“I want you to fuck me,” Danny whispered between kisses. 

Ethan nodded. “Okay. Yeah.” 

He should have been worried that they were in the shop where anyone could walk in on them. He should have been worried about the fact that they weren’t even together anymore. But he couldn’t think about anything but the man in his lap rubbing his leaking cock against his stomach. 

Danny yanked open a drawer and dug around until he found a small bottle of lube and a condom. He tossed the condom on the table before pushing the lube in Ethan’s hands. Ethan’s hands shook as he poured a generous amount onto his fingers before dropping the bottle and wrapping an arm around Danny’s waist while his other hand found Danny’s crack, brushing his fingers against the hole.

Danny shuddered and moaned as a finger slipped inside of him. “F-fuck.” His fingers dug into Ethan’s shoulders as he was fingered. Ethan watched Danny as he fell apart, clawing at Ethan’s shoulders and moaning shamelessly. Ethan kissed him as he pulled his fingers out a few minutes later, groping around on the table for the condom as Danny undid Ethan’s pants and pulled his cock out.

Danny took the condom from Ethan when he found it and ripped it open, slipping it on Ethan’s cock who groaned and bucked into the touch, nearly making Danny fall off his lap. Danny gave Ethan a kiss as he slowly lowered himself onto Ethan’s cock, both of them moaning.

Ethan had to stop and take a deep breathe, his arms circling Danny’s waist. “Are you okay?” Danny whispered in his ear, his body shaking just as much as Ethan’s was. 

Ethan nodded. “I’m okay.” He lifted his head and gave Danny a kiss. “I’m okay.”

Danny waited a couple of more minutes before he started to ride Ethan, using Ethan’s shoulders for leverage. Ethan moaned, pulling Danny in for another kiss. He hadn’t had the chance to be inside of Danny like this before they broke up and it was better than he ever imagined it would be. 

Danny’s moans echoed through the shop, his pace quickening. Ethan slipped a hand under Danny’s shirt and found a nipple, tugging gently at the piercing. Danny gasped and crushed their lips together, moaning louder as Ethan played with his piercing. 

He didn’t know how he did it, but somehow Ethan got them on the floor without disconnecting them. He gripped Danny’s hips tightly once he did and started to thrust into him, fast and hard. Danny moaned, fingers digging into Ethan’s back. 

Danny kissed him, holding Ethan tighter and thrusting his cock up against Ethan’s stomach. “Ethan..” Danny whimpered, wrapping his legs around the other’s waist. Ethan shifted slightly and hit something inside of Danny that had him almost screaming. “Fuck!” Danny moaned, back arching. He wrapped a hand around his cock and stroked himself fast. 

Ethan groaned and pounded into Danny, feeling the familiar sensation building inside of him. “I’m gonna come.”

Danny answered with a moan and crushed their lips together. “Me too.”

Ethan came only moments later, biting down on Danny’s shoulder as he gave a couple of more thrust before stilling. Danny groaned underneath him and Ethan wrapped a hand around the man’s cock. It only took a couple of strokes before Danny too was spilling, Ethan’s name on his lips as he did so.

They laid there in silence afterwards, their rapid heartbeats and breathing the only sound in the shop besides the radio on Danny’s station. Ethan was the first to move, his body shaking as he pulled himself away from Danny. 

Ethan threw the condom out before pulling his jeans back up, his back towards Danny. Danny’s arms wrapped around his waist and the artist pressed a couple of soft kisses to Ethan’s neck. “That was amazing,” Danny whispered, nipping gently as Ethan’s skin. “Lay back down.”

“Shouldn’t we clean up?”

“Later,” Danny replied, pulling Ethan back towards the floor. He curled up to Ethan, wrapping an arm around Ethan’s waist. “Let’s just stay here for a little while longer.”

Ethan nodded and wrapped his arms around Danny, holding him close as the artist drifted off. Sleep claimed him shortly after.

When Ethan awoke the next morning, Danny was still in his arms and the sunlight was streaming in through the front doors. He groaned and slowly sat up, trying his best not to look at the man sleeping next to him. The regret hit him immediately and he gathered the rest of his things before throwing a coat over Danny’s still nude lower half and leaving. He didn’t want to deal with what happened between them. Not yet.

He broke down the moment he arrived home, sliding down the closed door and pulling his knees against his chest as tears slipped down his face. He didn’t know what happened, but he was pretty sure that it was a mistake. Danny didn’t want him anymore. He made that clear the moment he walked out on him.


	7. Chapter 7

“You look like shit.”

Danny jumped, not expecting anyone else to be home. He turned around to see Jackson leaning against the island in the kitchen. He kicked off his shoes and made his way over to the coffee maker. “Passed out at the shop after being the only person there to close it.”

Jackson walked over his finger running over something on Danny’s neck. “Looks like you did a lot more than just close the shop.”

Danny pushed Jackson’s hand away, trying to ignore the ache in his heart as he thought about waking up alone. “It was nothing. Didn’t mean anything.”

“Who was it?”

“Nobody.”

“And for some reason I don’t believe that,” Jackson said. “Who was it?”

“Jackson, just leave me alone right now.”

“It was Ethan, wasn’t it? That’s why you look so upset.”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Danny growled. “Now fucking drop it!” Jackson grabbed Danny by the shoulder and turned him around, pinning him against the counter. “Jackson!”

“I know you know that I don’t like him,” Jackson said, cupping Danny’s chin and making him look at him. “But you love him. He made you happy and I know you regret leaving him. I think you regretted it the moment you came home that night and cried yourself to sleep. Yeah, he and his brother were my drug dealers but they’ve changed. Ethan loves you. Anyone with eyes can see that.” He moved his hand down to rest on Danny’s shoulder. “I don’t know what happened between the two of you last night, but I’m sure he’s in just as much pain as you are.”

“I woke up and he was gone,” Danny said, trying his hardest not to cry. “I let him inside me. I let him take me and he fucking left!” Tears started to leak out and he wiped them away. “If he loved me, why did he leave me? Why? I was willing to give him another chance. I was willing to start over but he left me.”

“Maybe he thinks he doesn’t deserve you,” Jackson said, wiping away Danny’s tears. “Think about it Danny. He probably doesn’t even realize how you still feel about him. You need to go talk to him.” Jackson wrapped his arms around Danny and held him tight. “I’ve never seen you as happy as you were when you two were together. Don’t let him slip away.”

Danny closed his eyes and buried his face in Jackson’s neck, letting out a sob. “I do still love him. I love him so much.”

“Then go after him.”

Danny was nervous as he walked up the stairs to Ethan and Aiden’s apartment. It had been a few days since that night at the tattoo shop and Danny was terrified. He stood in front of the door for several minutes, his hand raised to knock. He took a couple of deep breaths before knocking. 

When nobody answered, Danny knocked again. He knew Ethan was home because he had seen both bikes parked outside. He continued to knock until finally, the door cracked open and he saw Ethan. “Hey.”

Ethan just stared at him before shutting the door. Danny frowned before he heard the chain unlock and the door was opened. “Danny, what are you doing here?”

“I want to see you,” Danny replied. “Can I come inside?”

Ethan stepped aside and shut the door once Danny walked inside. He stood there looking around at anything that wasn’t Danny, rubbing his wrist. Danny noticed he was wearing long sleeves even though it was almost 90 degrees out. 

“Do-do you want something to drink?” Ethan asked, his eyes stopping on Danny for a second before he was looking elsewhere, rubbing his wrist a little harder, a pained look coming over his face for a brief seconds. Danny found it odd, but ignored it for the moment.

Danny shook his head. “No, I-I came here to talk.”

“About what?”

“Us,” Danny replied. “What happened at the shop.”

Ethan’s hand stopped rubbing his wrist and Danny watched him dig his fingers in. “Why do we need to talk about it?”

Danny took a step closer to Ethan. He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. He stood there quietly for a moment before he reached out and cupped Ethan’s face and leaned in, giving him a soft kiss. Ethan was frozen for a moment before his hands were on Danny’s chest and pushing him away.

“Don’t.”

“Ethan-“

“You don’t want me, Danny. I fucking know that you don’t want me anymore,” Ethan said, looking up at Danny tears threatening to fall. “I’m just a drug dealer. I’m just another idiot who fucked his life up. You don’t want that.”

“You don’t know what I want.”

“I know it’s not me. I’m too fucked up for a relationship. I’m too fucked up for anyone to ever love me.”

“But I do,” Danny said, his heart breaking as he watched a tear fall down Ethan’s face. “I do love you. I love you so fucking much it hurts. All this time that we were apart, I never stopped thinking about you. You made me happy, Ethan. You made me feel,” Danny’s voice broke and he had to take a deep breath. “You made me feel special. I never dated a guy who made me feel the way you did. Even now, I feel it. I want to be your boyfriend Ethan. I want to love you. I want to be there for you.”

“You shouldn’t,” Ethan said, shaking his head as tears continued to fall. “You deserve so much better than me. I’m not a good person, Danny.”

“Yes you are,” Danny said, moving forward and wrapping his arms around Ethan. “You made a mistake but you changed.” He pressed his lips to Ethan’s cheek and Ethan let out a shaky breath, his body shaking in Danny’s arms. “And you loved me.”

“I still love you,” Ethan said, looking up at Danny. “But I can’t be with you. I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because I hurt you,” Ethan said. “And I hurt you long before I even knew who you were. I never wanted to do this. I never wanted to sell drugs and steal and do the things he made us do. I never wanted it.”

“And I believe you,” Danny said, holding him tighter. “I believe you. Please, don’t throw this away because of your past. I love you. I love you, Ethan.”

“I wish you didn’t,” Ethan said, pulling away and rubbing at his eyes, the sleeve of his shirt riding up enough for Danny to catch a glimpse of several marks on his arm. He reached out and grabbed Ethan’s wrist, making him jump and try to pull away.

Danny pushed the sleeve up and looked down in shock at the burns on Ethan’s wrist and arm. “Oh my God. Ethan, what did you do?”

Ethan tried to pull his arm away but Danny held it tighter. “I told you. I’m fucked up.”

Danny ran his fingers over the burns, feeling more tears fall down his face. “Did you do this to yourself?” he asked and looked up at Ethan who nodded. “Why?”

“Because I couldn’t deal with everything that was going on,” Ethan replied his voice cracking as he spoke. “Aiden was having his withdrawals and I had no one.”

Danny’s heart broke all over again as he looked down at Ethan’s arm again. He leaned down and pressed his lips to a burn that was starting to heal. “Danny,” Ethan protested, trying to pull his arm away but Danny stopped him and kissed another burn. He continued to kiss every burn and by the time he reached the newest one, Ethan had tears streaming down his face. Danny pushed aside the top of Ethan’s shirt and pressed a gentle kiss to Ethan’s scarred tattoo before placing a final kiss on the man’s lips. Ethan let out a sob and collapsed in Danny’s arms.

“Shh,” Danny whispered rubbing Ethan’s back. “You’re not going to be alone anymore.” He lifted Ethan’s face and gave him another kiss. “I won’t leave you again.”

“You still want me? Even after all of this?” Ethan asked, his voice muffled by Danny’s shirt. “Even though I’m fucked up?”

Danny nodded. “Yes, I still want you. I love you and nothing is going to change that.”


	8. Epilogue

Danny leaned over Ethan and pressed the sketch a wolf rising from ashes and dying flames overtop of Ethan’s triskele tattoo. “I can’t promise perfection on this one,” Danny said, pulling the paper back and looking up at his boyfriend. 

“It will be perfect,” Ethan said, reaching up and caressed Danny’s cheek. “You’re the one doing it.”

Danny smiled and leaned in for a kiss. “Ready?”

Ethan nodded and looked over at the other side of the tattoo shop where Aiden getting his own triskele covered up by Laura. He gave his brother a smile when he looked over. “I’m ready.”

It took a couple hours to complete and by the end, Ethan felt different. He looked down at his new tattoo and smiled when he couldn’t see the old one anymore. As he looked at it, he finally felt free. He felt like he really could start over. Danny walked up behind him and wrapped his arms around Ethan’s waist and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “You like it?”

Ethan turned his head for a kiss. “I love it and I love you.”

Danny smiled. “I love you too.” He gave him another kiss before pulling away. “Ok, I want to talk to you and Aiden.”

“About?”

“Put your shirt on so I’m not distracted,” Danny joked, pressing another kiss to Ethan’s lips. “And go sit down.”

Once both twins were sitting, Danny stood in front of them looking nervous. It had been a few weeks since Aiden’s release from the hospital and Danny rekindled his relationship with Ethan. “Jackson and I were talking and we would like the two of you to move in.”

The twins looked shocked. Ethan was the first one to speak. “You want us to move in? With you?”

Danny nodded. “Yeah, I do. There are three extra bedrooms so there’s more than enough room for all of us and we feel that it would be nicer place than your apartment.” He walked over to Ethan and took his hands. “I love you and I know we only just got back together but I want what is best for you and Aiden. Just think about it.”

Ethan was silent for a moment before looking over at Aiden. “What do you think?”

“I think I’d like to get out of that shithole we live in,” Aiden replied. “I’m all for it.”

Ethan smiled and looked at his boyfriend. “Ok, we’ll move in.”


End file.
